One Piece Rebooted!
by Swordnoob
Summary: What would you do if you got the chance for a redo? Do everything the same? Of course not! Read as the Strawhats completely change the time line as we know it by protecting those they failed to and help make the world just a little better because of it. OP Strawhats. Expanded crew. LuffyxHancock Disclaimer: there will be OCs(not Strawhats), but they won't be relevant for awhile!
1. Adventure in the Afterlife

**I do not own One Piece!**

 **Thanks to Kippysaurus for helping fix this chapter!**

 _ **The New World, a Spring Island**_

Carnage. That was the only way to describe the scene that was set on one of the few picturesque oases in the madness that was the New World. Bodies in Marine uniforms lay scattered everywhere like some form of macabre carpet. Magma ran in rivers across the ground, hissing and streaming where the rain falling in sheets made contact. Trees, pieces of the ground, and even globes of water floated around the area, laughing in the face of gravity and logic.

Among all the destruction stood two men, the first towered over the second and wore the tattered remains of a white suit with a Marine coat hung on his shoulders, both of which were covered in blood and dirt. His left arm hung limply at his side, and he stood hunched, gasping in lungfuls of air, as if he were exhausted. His face was shadowed by the hat he wore, but you could see a massive bruise on his right cheek. "Marine" had been written proudly in blue on his hat but was now coated in a thick spattering of blood, making it a dark red.

The second man, while much smaller, was no less imposing, but wore a red vest that was open to expose a chiseled chest that was riddled with a myriad of burns, bruises, and scars, of which none was bigger than the massive 'X' in the middle. He also wore a pair of jean shorts with a yellow sash cinched around his waist. His legs were also peppered with scars and burns, and his sandals appeared as if they had melted into his feet. His face, too, was shadowed by the aged looking straw hat that held in his wild black hair. His mouth was set in a hate filled scowl, while he fought to catch his breath.

"What. Have. You. Done?" Asked the straw hat wearing man between pants.

"Punished some traitors, which is my right as Fleet Admiral." the Marine stated simply.

"I'm going to kill you, not by accident, not because you died from your injuries afterward, no, I'm going to make sure you die today," the second man's scowl deepened. "And I'm going to enjoy it."

"Typical pirate," the Marine responded, grabbing his left shoulder and popping it back into place with barely a grimace.

As if from some unseen cue, both men pulled their fists back, the Marine's turning into a huge magma limb that gained a black sheen. The pirate's hand reached giant proportions and stretched extremely far, while obtaining a similar black sheen as the first man's. Both then shot forward at inhuman speeds, colliding in a massive concussion of air.

"Hellhound!"

"Elephant Gun!"

 _ **Limbo**_

Luffy opened his eyes abruptly, seeing himself suspended in absolute blackness, the kind only available at the bottom of the ocean.  
"Where am I?" wondered Luffy aloud. "And where are my-"

Suddenly all his recent memories rushed back to him, stalling the few thought processes he had.

"No! Not again, I was too weak, _again_!" Luffy yelled to himself, pounding the solid blackness at his feet. "And we didn't just get separated this time, I'll never see them again! I failed them, again! It would have been fine if it was just me, but they died for my sake, I could see it in their eyes, their trust, their faith, in me. Now I'm all alone...again." Luffy trailed off, curling into a ball while tears streamed down his face, until he finally slipped off into the soothing oblivion of sleep.

"...ild."

"Hm?" Luffy wondered, still half asleep.

"Wake, my child." came a soft and soothing, yet powerful voice.

"Who's there?" Luffy questioned, yawning. "Weakahoshi?!"

In the complete swirling darkness that still allowed sight, floated a gigantic, beautiful mermaid with wavy, rose colored hair, big blue eyes, and a blue and sea-green striped tail. She wore a bikini top made of white sea shells to support her ample bosom and a matching skirt embroidered with large pearls around her waist.

"Fafafa!" The Mermaid laughed, causing the air to vibrate with power. "I am not the Mermaid Princess, but I am flattered since she is said to be the most beautiful creature in your world."

"Then who are you?" Luffy asked warily. 'She seems nice, but she's giving off a power that dwarfs even Kaido's.

"Don't be scared little monkey, I am powerful, yes, but I have no plans of harming you."

"Did you just read my mind?" Luffy asked with stars in his eyes. "Join my crew!"

"I...will have to decline, since I can't leave this place," the Mermaid responded, taken aback by his response. "However, I will fulfill one request of yours due to your boldness."

"Really? Anything?" Questioned Luffy with a big grin on his face.

"Yes, I'm something of a deity so I can grant most things you could want. Wealth? Women? Just tell me." the god said smirking. ' _Now show me your true face, human_.'

"Can you bring my friends back to life?" Luffy asked immediately.

"Huh, your friends? Don't you want something for yourself? I could return you to life if you wanted." the deity replied, surprised once more.

"I'm fine, but my friends never succeeded in any of their dreams, and that was my fault. They believed in me, and I failed them. They deserve a second chance, and I can go have an adventure in the afterlife," Luffy explained, his mouth widening into a peaceful smile.

"Well, you lot sure are an interesting bunch, I'll give you that," the Mermaid stated, the barest hint of smirk curving her mouth. "Okay, your wish is granted!"

"Thank you!" Luffy exclaimed, his smile widening further.

"...Just not yet," the deity finished as an afterthought, causing Luffy to face fault into the ground.

"Don't pretend like you're going to do something and then not do it, dumbass!" An indignant voice yelled to his right.

"Nami?" Luffy questioned, recognizing the sound.

"Luffy?!" the red headed woman whirled to look in his direction, revealing that it was indeed Nami.

"Nami! I thought everyone was gone!" Luffy yelled, jumping at her and giving her a massive hug.

"Luffy, I don't know if I can die in the afterlife, but if you don't stop crushing me we'll find out!" The navigator gasped, punching him off her, even though she wore a happy smile.

"Yes, it would be horrible if she was erased from existence," came a silky voice from behind them.

"Robin, must you always say such morbid things?" came a male, nasally voice.

"Why yes, Usopp, how else would I get to hear your reactions otherwise?" the black haired woman teased.

"Robin! Usopp! You guys are here too?!" exclaimed Luffy.

"Fufu, of course," chuckled Robin, a smirk adorning her face.

"As a brave warrior of the seas, I would obviously follow my captain anywhere!" boasted the dark haired man, his long nose upturned.

Luffy, in his excitement, released Nami, then ran and stretched his arms out so he could hug them both at the same time.

"I would say its good to see you all, but I don't have eyes!" came a high-pitched male voice to their left. "Yohoho, skull joke!"

"You do realize that we're all dead now, don't you?" deadpanned a gravelly voice in an exasperated tone. "Anyways, STOP HANDLING THE LADIES SO ROUGHLY!."

'BONG'

"Sanwi? Is twat you?" questioned Luffy through a swollen lip. "Awd Bwook too?"

"Sure is shitty captain," said the blond haired cook, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"At your service, captain," responded the large, tuxedo wearing skeleton, with a slight bow.

"Guys!" Luffy yelled happily, releasing Robin and Usopp to Rocket over and entangle the new arrivals.

"Luffy let me go! I only wish for the affections of beautiful women!" lamented Sanji, trying to push his captain away with his foot.

"Just let it happen, you know you like it, and he probably thought we were all dead," coaxed Brook. "However, I was already dead! Yohoho!"

"Shishishi! I missed all of you, even though it was only for a short time,"Luffy laughed, still hanging off of his friends.

"Brook I knew you were a man after my own heart, making something normal sound SUPER perverted!" exclaimed a deep, mechanical voice.

'SMACK'

"Don't make it sound like being perverted is a positive trait!" admonished a child-like voice.

"Wait, so you're telling me that being a pervert isn't a good thing?!" the giant cyborg, dressed in only a Hawaiian shirt and speed-o, said, shocked.

"Obviously!" Sighed the small reindeer next to him, who facepalmed.

"Franky! Chopper!" yelled Luffy gleefully. "Is Zoro with you too?!"

"Unfortunately, no..." Chopper said, worry causing his voice to waver.

"No... he couldn't have, could he?" Nami questioned, concern crossing her face.

"Even he couldn't get lost on the way to the afterlife, right?" Usopp wondered, idly rummaging in his ammo bag.

"Wait, Zoro's not with you guys?" Luffy asked, his grin beginning to falter.

"No, he's no-"

'SNORE'

A noisy breath interrupted Franky's answer, causing everyone to look in the direction it came from, revealing a soundly sleeping, green haired swordsman with a huge snot bubble forming from his nose.

"Seriously?" sweat dropped Franky.

"DON'T BE SLEEPING WHEN WE'RE WORRYING ABOUT YOU, ASS!" yelled Nami, punching the sleeping man on the top of his head.

"Ow, damn crazy witch, can't you see I'm trying to nap over here?" Zoro complained, a huge knot growing out of the top of his head.

"Don't call the lovely Nami-swan a witch, you uncivilized brute!" Sanji defended, getting in the swordsman's face.

"What, mad that for all your chivalry you still died a virgin?" answered Zoro smugly.

"Care to repeat that, Mosshead?" Sanji warned, his leg igniting in black flames.

"Oh, you heard me," sneered Zoro, unsheathing his now glossy black blades.

' _Did they completely forget about me?!'_ thought the Mermaid god in the background.

"Hey Robin, what's a virgin?" Luffy asked innocently.

"Oh, its...a type of olive oil," Robin explained, avoiding eye contact.

"Thanks, you're so smart Robin!" exclaimed Luffy cheerfully. "I wonder if it would taste good?"

"Sometimes the best way to prepare food is to burn off the bad parts, or in your special case, everything,"Sanji commented, readying his fiery foot. "Hell's Memories, Grillė Shoot!"

"Your right, sometimes you do need to cut the chaff and since we don't have to worry about collateral damage..." Zoro smirked behind the sword in his mouth, as two copies of him appeared at his sides. "Asura, 9000 Worlds!"

Just before the blazing inferno and the mass of whirling blades were about to meet, a blue-skinned figure coated in a sphere of inky water appeared between them.

"Fishman Karate Ultimate Defense, Shell of the Lion Turtle!" the whale shark fishman yelled.

A huge explosion and a blast of wind caused a sharp breeze in the otherwise stagnant air.

"Those idiots," sighed Nami, shaking her head.

"Can't you guys keep it together for five minutes? We're in the presence of a literal deity!" came an exasperated, flowing voice.

"Tch, can't you just let us find out who's stronger for once?" bemoaned Zoro. "Jeez, Jinbei."

"Yeah, can't I kick this moron's ass just once?" Sanji taunted, pointing at his rival.

"Wanna try it, Swirlybrow?" countered Zoro.

"Quit it you two!"Jinbei reprimanded, chopping them both over the head. " I'm the most mature among you, no offense Brook."

"None taken, I may be in my 90's but I'm youthful at heart, or lack there-"

"So I have to keep you in line , during certain...events, like now." continued Jinbei, ignoring Brook, who fell to his knees in depression.

"Fine," Zoro said, re-sheathing his swords.

"Fair enough," Sanji acquiesced, lowering his foot, although the two still glared at each other.

"Jinbei! Even you're here? That's awesome!" Luffy exclaimed, giving him and Zoro a hug as well.

"I'm a bit surprised too, it's almost like someone just wanted me to be here..." Jinbei pondered, looking idly at the god who just smiled knowingly.

"Yeah, how are you here? You didn't die with the rest of us," Luffy questioned bluntly. "We left you in Totland."

"Unfortunately I wasn't able to keep my promise, Big Mom captured me and when she realized she couldn't steal my soul, she boiled me alive 'like the fish I am'," Jinbei responded using air quotes.

"That horrible woman!" Sanji exploded, fire in his eyes." Who boils fish?! It ruins the flavor!"

"Don't be so insensitive!" Nami exclaimed ironically, while everyone else sweat dropped.

Jinbei coughed into his hand. "Anyways, how did you guys end up here?"

"We died, duh," Luffy explained simply, a finger up his nose.

"Allow me to explain," interjected Robin. "After we defeated Kaido in Wano, it was confirmed to the World Government that we were a crew that was on the same tier as an Emperor. Therefore, Akainu mobilized himself, the three Admirals, half of the Vice-Admirals, and 15 battleships to destroy Luffy before he could cause anymore lasting damage to the balance of power in the New World. We were exhausted after the battle with Kaido, so we asked around Wano if there were any places nearby that we could rest at, and learned of an island about a day's sail away that had weather similar to the Blues. They also warned that it was often visited by the Red Hair pirates, but that only made Luffy want to go even more, yelling about how he was finally going to meet Shanks again. Now that I think back, that man was probably a Marine plant told to lure us there.

When we finally arrived," Robin continued. "The Marines assaulted us full force, and when Luffy saw who was leading them, he let loose a yell of rage and a wave of Conqueror's so powerful, that even we were affected. Most of the Marines, below Vice-Admiral rank, were unable to fight off the assault and fell unconscious. Luffy then made a beeline for Akainu, brutalizing anyone who got in his way. When he reached the Admirals, who had moved to intercept him, Zoro, Sanji, and, surprisingly, Usopp engaged them, so that he could fight the Fleet Admiral."

"What do you mean, 'surprisingly'!" Usopp yelled indignantly in the back.

"The rest of us fought the lower tier Marines, while being bombarded by cannon fire. We gave them hell, but we...we weren't strong, or numerous, enough to overcome them and now...we're here." Robin finished, none of the usual mirth showing on her face.

Jinbei looked around and saw similar looks of shame on each of the Strawhats' faces, the worst of all was Luffy, who had taken his hat off, and was staring at it with disturbing seriousness.

"Why so glum all of a sudden?" came a voice that was all but forgotten in the moment, causing everyone to turn and look back at the Mermaid. "I already told you I would help, I just need you to pass my final test."

"Final test? There were others?" Luffy thought aloud, his head cocked to the side.

"Of course, I wanted to see what kind of person you were at your core, with no one else to put up appearances for, that was your first test," explained the god, holding up a finger. "Second, I wanted to see what type people your crew was and, to my surprise, when asked the same question as you, they gave me the exact same response, without hesitation."

"Oh? So you even wished for my return, eh sword idiot?" Sanji goaded with a smirk.

"Of course, so I can finally get away from you, you damned pervert," responded Zoro smoothly.

"I just have a healthy appreciation for the female form, unlike some people who are obsessed with men and their huge swords!" countered Sanji.

"Wanna go?!" Zoro yelled, unsheathing his katanas once more.

"I'll bet you do!" Sanji responded, blocking Zoro's sword with his foot.

"For the last time, QUIT IT!" Nami screamed, punching them both over the head, before turning to address the fishman. "And Jinbei, you can't hold back with these two, all they understand is pain."

"Understood," Jinbei responded, nodding sagely. "Sorry about that little interruption, please continue...um, but we never did get your name, great one."

"Oh, how rude of me, it has been awhile since I had guests, you see," replied the deity, blushing slightly. "You may call me Umi."

"Thank you Umi, please continue," Jinbei said respectfully.

"Thank you, I have been waiting for a 850 years for someone who could pass all my tests. There have been others who have passed my tests of Purity and Loyalty, but none have passed the final one, Strength," Umi explained seriously. "If you pass my test, I shall send you back to the world of the living, but, if you fail, your very essence will be destroyed. On the other hand, I can let you pass to the afterlife together. Choose wisely!"

"If I accept your proposal," Luffy started, his eyes shadowed by his hat. "I will do it alone, and if I fail, let my friends pass on."

"That is accept-"

"Fuck that," Zoro interrupted, causing everyone to look at him. "We have always fought together, hell we _died_ together, don't try to baby us now. Whatever choice we make, it will be together, and I already know my vote."

"For once I agree with him," Sanji said, lighting another cigarette. "I still need to find All Blue."

"And I never got to make all the money from my map of the world," Nami added, beri signs in her eyes.

"I already experienced death, so what else is there to fear? Let's do it!" declared Usopp, beating his chest.

"I've already died twice, and Laboon is still waiting!" Brook stated, his skull morphed into a fierce glare.

"You guys are the ones who showed me that being a monster is okay," Chopper cried, changing into his Heavy Point. "I never want to be separated again, so let's go all out!

"You all put your lives on the line to save me, even when I wanted to die! Of course I'll stand beside you!" Robin exclaimed resolutely, crossing her arms.

"You guys are SUPER manly!" Franky blubbered, assuming his iconic pose. "I'm proud to stand with you!"

"I may be the newest member, but in order to see peace between fishmen and humans," Jinbei said, stepping into line with the rest of the Strawhats. "I'll follow the crew that can accomplish that anywhere!"

Luffy turned around and looked into each of his friend's eyes, and seeing the determination in each of their faces caused a grin to slowly split his face. "Well, you heard them, bring it on!" Luffy proclaimed confidently.

"I figured you would do it, now, to pass my test, all you have to do is resist my will from suppressing yours completely for one minute." Umi stated, her face set in grim resolution. "Prepare yourselves."

"One." The Strawhats each took a deep breath to clear their minds for the assault to come. "Two." Each crew mate eased into the stance they were most comfortable in. "Three." They all tensed in anticipation for the barrage, when what felt like the weight of the world slammed into their minds, driving them all to their hands and knees as one.

"Impressive, most fail immediately," Umi said, a small smile gracing her lips. "But if that's all you have, you won't survive."

Immediately, the pirates felt the pressure begin to increase steadily, making sweat stream down their faces.

 **Will the Strawhats survive? Find out next chapter, thanks for reading!**


	2. Strawhats Vs God

**I do not own One Piece, enjoy!**

 **Thanks to Kippysaurus for helping redo this chapter!**

 **Shout out to ItzHyperion, jurassicdinodrew, and Unbridler Girl for reviewing on the first chapter, thanks!**

"It's not just a mental barrage!" Robin shouted suddenly. "There is a physical component as well!"

"If that's the case..." Luffy began, slowly lifting his right thumb to his mouth, as his limbs gained a familiar black sheen. "Muscle Balloon, Gear 4th: Boundman!"

Luffy instantly felt strength surge into his limbs, allowing him to struggle to his knees, helping relieve the weight from the weaker members. "Zoro! Sanji! Jinbei! I need your combined strength!" He yelled, now twice as tall and broad, with black, tattoo-like patterns on his chest.

"Just this once, agreed?"Zoro asked, his dark green bandanna somehow now wrapped around his head.

"Agreed." affirmed Sanji, his cigarette burning to ashes in a flash.

"Finally."Jinbei sighed, his water swirling around him once more.

"Asura," Zoro started, his extra limbs appearing again. "Three Gorilla!" The swordsman flexed his three left arms, forcing them to double in size. "Six Gorilla!" He then repeated the process with his right arms and pushed upwards against the invisible weight. "Six Gorilla Push!" With a mighty effort, Zoro was able to raise the steadily increasing weight and struggle to his knees as well.

"Hell's Memories," Sanji began, regaining his infernal aura as he rolled onto his back, allowing the force to be pressed against his feet. "Rising Poilu au Frille-Spectre!" The chef lashed out in multiple kicks, causing smoke to rise from the points of impact, until he was able to fully extend his legs upward.

"Fishman Karate," Jinbei commenced, his hands moving in a swirling motion. "Whirlpool!" The fishman suddenly thrust his arms upwards, the water mimicking his motions creating a spinning pillar of water that pushed against the supernatural burden as he rose to his knees also.

"We have to help too!" Nami prompted, pulling out her Sorcery Clima-Tact and pointing it upward, releasing a massive amount of air. "Tornado Sword!"

"Right!" Usopp nodded, flicking four pellets in the cardinal directions, causing four, massive, gray trees to sprout in their places. "Steeltrees!

"Rumble!" proclaimed Chopper, biting into a yellow sphere before quadrupling in size. "Monster Point!"

"We're almost half-way, keep it up!" Robin encouraged, squeezing her hands closed and sprouting six huge arms. "Gigantesco Mano, Lift!"

"It's time to be SUPER!" bellowed Franky, bracing his large hands against the unseen force, as large jets of flame burst from his elbows. "Franky Rocket Boosters!"

"So awesome!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper yelled in tandem, stars in their eyes.

"Now's not the time to be distracted by something so childish!" Nami admonished through gritted teeth.

"You already died long ago, believe that..." Brook muttered to himself, his bones suddenly seeming to flex like corded muscles. "Strength of the Dead!"

"Oh? So you've made it to the half-way mark? You continue to impress." Umi stated, the barest hint of a smile on her face. "But can your wills keep up with your bodies?"

"There's more?!" Usopp gasped in horror, as he was barely able to keep kneeling with the help of his plants.

Instead of a response, the crew just felt the sensation of having a sledgehammer pound against their skulls repeatedly as the god began her mental assault in sincerity. Immediately, Jinbei wavered, his technique collapsing in on itself, as he fell to his hands once more.

"Jinbei! We're almost there, hold on!" Luffy yelled, trying to make up the loss of strength.

"Sorry Captain, looks like I still can't keep my promise..." Jinbei said, trying to give a smile that ended up looking more like a grimace of pain. A moment later, the fishman collapsed limply, slamming into the floor from the weight that still hovered over their heads like a halo of doom.

"Dammit! I can't keep this up! I guess I'll never get to spend all that treasure we had..." Nami said wistfully, as the air flow from her Clima-Tact began to slow.

"Nami! Keep it up a little longer!" Sanji urged, as he redoubled his efforts to ease the burden from the navigator.

"Its okay, thanks for everything guys," Nami finished, as her Clima-Tact finally ran out of air, letting her slam into the floor as well, knocking her into oblivion.

"Jinbei! Nami!" Zoro grunted, a demonic scowl on each of his three faces.

"Is this where you fall?" the god wondered rhetorically, her smile slowly falling into a frown.

As soon as Umi finished speaking, six massive cracks were heard, along with a piercing scream. The remaining conscious Strawhats turned to look at Robin, only to recoil in alarm. They saw her giant limbs fade into pink flower petals, revealing her comatose on the floor, her true arms bent at unnatural angles. Bone protruded from her flesh, allowing blood to gush from her body, filling the air with a metallic tang.

"Robin! I'll patch you up right away, just hold on!" Chopper cried, attempting to move closer to the ex-assassin.

"Stay where you are Chopper! Focus on the task at hand or we will all end up like that!" Zoro commanded, although the pain in his eyes was plain to see.

"But-" Chopper started with a sniffle.

"Listen to Zoro, Chopper," Luffy concurred, thinking back to their previous adventures. "Sometimes you can't take your eyes off the enemy in front of you, or _everyone_ will die."

"R-right," Chopper stuttered sadly.

With the sound of a small explosion, Usopp's trees finally burst into a cloud of splinters due to the increased force of the weight. "Shit." Was all he managed to say before he was brutally slammed into the black expanse beneath them, snapping his lengthy nose in the process.

"Ussop!" screamed Luffy in worry for his best friend.

"He can't hear you anymore, none of them can," Umi sighed in disappointment. "I guess you weren't the ones I was waiting for, time for another 40 year wait."

"Was this all a sick game to you?!" Luffy demanded, slowly being forced into a bow by the great pressure.

"Was it to you? Even after you were separated from your friends and watched your brother die right in front of your face, did you change your ways? Even after you literally died, you still act like everything will just work out for you, but guess what? That doesn't always happen! Even if you survive this _somehow,_ things won't always work out and it will catch up to you if you let it! So what will it be? Will you make your own way out of this, or will you let fate decide like always?" Umi challenged, her arms crossed.

For once in his life Luffy was honestly speechless, no one had ever seriously rebutted his decisions before. Gramps did, but he mostly ignored what the old man said, since most of it was stuff about becoming a great Marine, which Luffy would never change his views on anyways. However, thinking back, if he hadn't been so impulsive all the time, and listened to the others once in awhile, maybe they wouldn't have gotten into so many dangerous situations. Hell, the whole reason Ace died was because of his brother's refusal to run from a fight. He was pulled from his brief ruminations by a gurgling sound from next to him.

"Chopper! Not you too!" Luffy cried, seeing his friend foaming from the mouth, as he fell forward with a loud thump, his weakened antler snapping at the base.

"It seems he couldn't resist my barrage and maintain sanity in that form," the god mused. "And then there were five."

"Sorry guys, turns out I wasn't super enough today," Franky lamented, none of the usual emphasis on his favorite word. "Find someone else to take care of Sunny." As he finished speaking, the flames on his elbows sputtered out and his normally ostentatious hair and body went limp, falling to the ground without further sound.

"Franky!" Zoro growled in concern.

"Four..." Umi counted, her (internal) frown deepening further.

"Looks like the third time isn't the charm for once," Brook chuckled darkly, cracks spreading across his body like tiny rivers. "Tell Laboon hi for me." He finished, before crumbling into a pile of broken bones.

"Brook!" Sanji shouted in concern.

"Three. What are you going to do _Strawhat?_ " Umi asked, beginning to tap her fingers on her forearm impatiently.

"Whatdoidowhatdoidowhatdoido?" Luffy mumbled incoherently, his face red as he tried to think. Thinking and staying upright were hard to do at the same time, dammit!

"Damn, looks like you did end up beating me, Mosshead," Sanji smirked, his fiery aura beginning to sputter out.

"Not really, Ero-cook, I don't have much else either," Zoro jabbed back, his extra limbs fading in and out of existence.

"Zoro! Sanji! We only have ten seconds! I need your help! I can't lose you all again!" Luffy cried, tears marking trails down his face.

"We believe in _you,_ " they said, matching smiles on their faces as their eyes rolled back in their heads and fell forward, joining their comrades on the ground.

"Then there was one," Umi said, turning her back on the slowly fading pirates. "I really thought you would be the ones..."

 **Is this the end for the Strawhats? Will Luffy finally think of something? Find out next chapter!**


	3. Umi, God of the Ocean

**I do not own One Piece, enjoy!**

 **Shout out to Matt who noticed I did indeed forget Franky last chapter :(**

 **It was pretty late when I was working on it and forgot, however I have updated it slightly to include him, so thank you!**

"Wait, Bastard!" Luffy growled through the pain of the physical weight that pressed down on him, and the ache of watching his friends fall once more due to his arrogance.

"Why? I can tell you are about to join your so-called friends into the Abyss," Umi stated dismissively, not turning around. "I don't want to watch another disappointment."

"What do you mean so-called?! I would die for them!" Luffy screamed indignantly.

"You would? Then why are you always the last one standing? In Thriller Bark, Zoro kept you from being taken by the World Government, at Sabaody you were saved by Kuma, in Totland Jinbei stayed behind so you could escape, and at Kalm* Island they all sacrificed themselves so you could take revenge instead of running away! Now here we are, repeating the same story." the god accused with a scoff.

"No..." Luffy mumbled to under his breath, his face unreadable due to the shadow cast by his hat.

"What was that? You aren't still denying it are you?" Umi said, looking back over her shoulder.

"I SAID NO!" Luffy suddenly howled a look of absolute rage and grief on his face. The same moment he screamed a massive bolt of black lightning shot from between his eyes into the invisible force weighing him down. From the point of impact, cracks began to spread making an odd distortion to the surrounding area, until it shattered with a deafening crash. With the pressure suddenly released, Luffy flew into the air where he fell back down and began hopping in place like a giant bouncy ball. Releasing Gear 4th he was able to fall and land on his feet and run to check up on his friends to make sure they were still alive, or dead, or whatever they were at the moment. Heading to Chopper first since Luffy didn't really know how to cure people, except with meat, he began shaking the now smaller version of the reindeer to wake him up, when he heard sobbing behind him.

As Luffy stopped and turned to see what or who was making the noise, he was greeted by a similar scene of a giant mermaid crying literal buckets as she held her head in what could have been pain.

"Hey! Umo, I passed stupid your test so help my friends!" Luffy demanded, readying his arm for a punch if he had to fight.

"You did it...you did it! You really did it!" Umi yelled gleefully, grabbing the pirate captain in an actual giant hug.

"Can't. Breathe. Help. Friends!" Luffy gasped from where he was being smashed between her massive breasts.

"Oh, right, you probably don't like me very much right now," Umi said understanding. "I'll help them right away!"

With a snap of her fingers that echoed around the space, the unconscious Strawhats were surrounded in a glaring white light that forced Luffy to look away, or be blinded. When he looked back, all his friends were back on their feet like nothing had ever happened to any of them, matching looks of confusion on their faces.

"What happened? Did we do it?" Chopper questioned, now in his Brain Point.

"I'm pretty sure our captain came through," Sanji grinned, lighting up a new cigarette.

"He better have, we were on one hell of a losing streak," Zoro stated, a smirk also adorning his face.

"I don't think I'll be creating arms for awhile, that was...unpleasant," Robin said, rubbing her once more flawless arms.

"Just wait for the journey back, I still can't get the chill out of my bones!" Brook joked.

"Sanji! I just realized we haven't eaten in at least 1 minute, so MEAT!" Luffy suddenly bellowed as his stomach rumbled.

"Where is he supposed to make anything? And aren't we dead? How are you even hungry?!" Franky asked, his eyes bugging out.

"Don't you know logical arguments don't work on him? _Especially_ when he's hungry," Nami sighed.

"Guys! You're doing it again! There is a god, right there!" Jinbei began, pointing at Umi. "And you act like its no big deal, while talking about lunch!"

"Eh, I've kicked God's ass before," Luffy stated nonchalantly. "Anyways, meat is the most important thing in the world."

"No, it most certainly isn't!" Ussop yelled, hitting Luffy on the head with his Black Kabuto.

"Um, I know-" Umi started.

"Yeah, don't be an idiot, it's obviously booze," Zoro said, checking his swords.

"Still wrong," Ussop deadpanned.

"I could make some-" Umi tried again.

"Ussop's right, the correct answer is money, you can get both of those things and so much more with money," Nami lectured.

"Money's important, but still wrong," Usopp denied, shaking his head.

"Really if you'll jus-"

"Because it's love!" Sanji interjected passionately on his knees. "After I experienced it first hand, there is no doubt in my mind."

"Sure, pervert, you would spout some cliche line like that," Zoro goaded.

"Why you-"

"Actually, Sanji is right, this once," Usopp stated. "Love can change the world, either for good or ill."

"That's surprisingly poetic from you, Usopp," Robin said thoughtfully.

"Again with the surprisingly!" Usopp exclaimed indignantly.

"He's just getting ideas about a certain rich blonde," Nami teased, elbowing him.

"I'm not- I mean I like-" Usopp stuttered, blushing furiously.

"CAN I SPEAK PLEASE?!" Umi suddenly shouted over their banter.

"See? Now she probably going to strike us down or something!" Jinbei face palmed.

"What do you want?" Luffy demanded, standing protectively in front of his crew.

"Well, I was just going to say I could make some food for you...you know...if you wanted," Umi said, suddenly shy from the voice of the response.

"Really?" Luffy's tone instantly becoming friendly, as drool fell from his lips.

"Yes?" the Mermaid sweat dropped, before snapping her fingers and creating each of the crews favorite foods appear in front of them, including sea-king meat on the bone the size of a small house for Luffy.

As soon as the food appeared, Luffy jumped on the meat and began taking inhumanly large bites, while the rest of the crew quickly grabbed their food and huddled over it protectively, except Jinbei.

"Why are you guys doing that-" Jinbei began as a rubbery arm stretched to his plate and stole a rice ball before retracting. "Hey!"

"Meal time is always a battle!" Zoro yelled, grabbing Jinbei's Sake before running away while drinking it.

Shocked into stillness by the unprecedented act, Robin and Usopp were also able to take his other two rice balls before he blocked Brook's reaching hand and quickly ate the little that was left. Still hungry he looked to see if he could get food from anyone else, when he saw Nami calmly sitting in the middle of the mosh pit. With a grin, he stuck up on her, reaching for one of the tangerines sitting on the plate.

"If you touch that, it will cost you 100,000 beris, or whatever currency they use in the afterlife," Nami stated calmly, taking a sip of her tea. "With one hundred percent interest every day you don't pay up, and I'll have Sanji enforce it."

"Whatever you say, Nami-swan," Sanji called, while fighting Zoro over a biscuit.

"I'll just leave you be..." Jinbei said, pulling his hand back.

"Good call," Nami smiled, beginning to peel the tangerine.

'BURP'

"Ah, that sure was good! Thanks for the meal!" Luffy called, now appearing to be a large ball with limbs.

"You're welcome," the god smiled, relieved he didn't seem angry anymore.

"Now that is over with, were you going to let us return to the land of the living?" Robin asked, getting to the root of the matter.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot about that," Luffy admitted with a chuckle.

"Are you sure you even have a brain?" Nami questioned seriously.

"Unless we cut open his head, we'll never know for sure," Chopper said scientifically.

"Robin! Now you have Chopper making the dark jokes! Think of the children!" rambled Usopp, pointing at the archaeologist.

"Very good job Chopper, here's some cotton candy," Robin thanked the small reindeer, summoning the snack from thin air.

"How did you make that appear from no where?!" Luffy asked in awe.

"Well it seems if you just think about having something it will appear for you, at least in this space," Robin explained. "I saw Nami and Usopp summon items they didn't actually have, just because they

needed them, and found I could do it with most things."

"Cool! More meat then!" Luffy exclaimed, creating another monolithic piece of food. "This is the best!"

"While he's distracted with that, tell us what you really want," Nami gestured at the god. "No one puts people through tests for no reason, so tell us what we need to do."

"Ah, so you've caught me, I suppose," Umi began. "I've actually been stuck in this," she indicated their surroundings. "For 850 years, and I was hoping you could help me escape."

"850 years? That was during the void century..." Robin pondered, thinking of the implications. "Is that why I've never heard any mention of you in any ancient manuscripts?"

"Correct, I saw that the world was becoming increasingly segregated, with the Minks and giants mostly staying in their homelands, the dwarves enslaved by the Doflamingos, and the merfolk and fishmen constantly mocked and enslaved as well. At first it saddened me, but I thought it was an unfortunate, but natural occurrence. Eventually, however, I discovered it was my accursed brother who was helping manipulate events, so I chose the strongest and most righteous person of the time to help me try to rectify the damage he had caused." Umi explained. "Unfortunately, my brother realized what was happening, and sent his worshipers to systematically destroy all knowledge of me. After he removed and hid all he could through his disciples, I was significantly weakened and he used the imbalance of power to banish me here, Limbo ."

"That's horrible! How could your own brother do that?!" Sanji raged, his eyes alight.

"We have always been at odds, he is god of the land, while I'm the god of the ocean. We are opposites, always have been, always will be." Umi said sadly. "Since I was god of the ocean, I was always the more powerful one and I knew he resented me for it. I just didn't think he would do something so cruel, and not just to me but to my creations."

"That's horrible and everything, but what does it have to with us?" Usopp queried. "If an actual god can't break out of this place, I don't think we would be able to either."

"It must have something to do with sending us back to the past," Robin deduced. "Do you plan to send us to the void century, perhaps? I wouldn't be against experiencing it first hand."

"I would!" Usopp yelled, making an 'X' with his arms.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the power for that currently. Since I don't have any worshipers so I don't have even a fraction of the power I once wielded." Umi said regretfully. "The furthest I could send you back is five years, and that would leave me exhausted for a century or two."

"Then how does that help you? You would still be stuck here." Nami stated confused.

"All I ask is that you help free my children from the bondage they find themselves in, whether self imposed or otherwise." Umi smiled slyly. "And tell them about me, so I might escape in the future."

"And if we don't?" Zoro challenged. "All I care about is becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman."

"Ah, I would be careful if I were you _Roronoa_ , I don't particularly like your kind..." Umi's warned, her eyes suddenly flashing with hatred.

"What?!" Zoro yelled in surprise at the sudden venom in her tone.

"However, you don't know your ancestry so I will refrain from further action." The god relented, before turning to the others. "And don't ask, it is quite the sore spot."

"Still, what if you send us back and we don't do as you request?" Jinbei asked respectfully. "Just to play devil's advocate.

"As long as you still go against the World Government, I won't really enact vengeance, it will at least be a thorn in my brother's side." Umi said waving her hand dismissively. "My progeny have been downtrodden for the past 800 years, they can wait a bit longer."

"No they can't!" Chopper yelled passionately. "I know what it feels like to be scorned for being different! I wouldn't wish that even on Wapol!"

"Yeah, I must protect all the beautiful mermaids from those vile men!" Sanji proclaimed.

"You're one of those 'vile men', dumbass!," Nami yelled, bonking him over the head with her Clima-Tact.

"Well, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but if you just do things pretty much the same as last time you-,"

"Nope!" Luffy exclaimed rudely through a mouthful of meat.

"...What do you mean 'nope'?" Umi questioned, annoyed.

Luffy swallowed the bite in his mouth before responding. "You said 'do things pretty much the same' so I said nope because that would be boring," Luffy explained like he was talking to a small child. "Except for helping out my friends like Vivi, Conis, and Rebecca, I don't want to do things the same. I want to save Ace and stop that damn Arlong bastard early, stuff like that! What's the point of going to the past if you're just going to relive your memories? You can always do that."

Umi and the rest of the crew stood gobsmacked by the logic of Luffy's statement before sweat dropping when he turned and continued eating, oblivious to their stares.

Zoro was the first to pull himself from his stupor. "Well you heard the captain! We're changing the past!"

"Well, if that's what we're doing, what all should we try to change?" Robin questioned, looking at her crewmates.

"I want Arlong put in his place as soon as possible!" Nami proclaimed as the sight of her mother's final moments flashed through her head for the first time in months.

"I'll handle that stupid bastard and his cohorts, as soon as I round up Hody's gang" Jinbei stated, a look of shame on his face. "Both of them were caused by my actions or lack there of."

"You can't blame yourself for their actions, Jinbei," Usopp assured. "I'll try to dig up some dirt on Kuro, so I can have some proof of my claims against the shit butler."

"I will get my shadow back from Ryuma, while destroying as many zombies as I can before escaping," Brook said. "Even with my 2 year training, I don't think I could beat Moriah and all his goons."

"I'm going to warn Ice-for-brains about CP-9, and change some of the blueprints for the Sunny and myself." Franky decided, absently cycling through his different hairstyles.

"I'm finding the nearest one of you I can reach, and staying with you until we're all together again." Robin declared, a haunted look in her eyes. "I can't go back to the kill or be killed lifestyle, it would...it would crush me..." She trailed off silently, tears threatening to spill.

"We would never ask you to do that, you can find any of us and we would be happy to have you with us," Sanji said sincerely, no trace of his normal dramatics.

Nami seeing her friend so vulnerable, she couldn't help but pull her into a hug, followed shortly by the rest of the crew.

"Oooh, hugs!" Luffy yelled realizing his was left out of a group embrace, so he just stretched his arms around the entirety of his friends in order to join in. They just enjoyed the companionship they all shared with each other before slowly releasing to reveal that Robin no longer had her scarred look.

"Thanks guys, I'm not usually a hugging person, but I needed that." The archaeologist smiled, wiping away a few stray tears.

"Anytime," Nami smiled back, before whirling and kicking Sanji in the crotch, who had a suspicious nosebleed. "And that's for grabbing my ass during what should have been a wholesome moment!"

"Worth it..." Sanji moaned before fainting from pain, or blood loss no one could tell.

"Moment officially ruined!" Franky declared in a much too cheerful voice.

"Shishishi! You guys are the best!" Luffy laughed while rolling on the floor.

"So are you guys ready to go back?" Umi questioned, used to being ignored by now.

"One last thing!" Luffy yelled, becoming serious for a moment. "I have to save Ace, so we all need to get stronger again!"

"Right!" the rest of the Strawhats affirmed.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Umi interjected. "Your bodies will all return to the way they were at whatever time you chose to return to. The only exceptions to this is if it is not an obvious physical change, for example, if you had Haki you will obviously be able to use it still. However, if you had other 'power ups' like Luffy's resistance to poison you will keep those as well, since it's not an external difference."

"Jee thanks, make the monsters even stronger," Usopp complained. "What about my arsenal? Do I have to go all the way back to the Boin Archipelago?"

"And I will send copies of the items back with you and the navigator, but I can't send unique items like your blades, _Roronoa,"_ Umi explained, gaining a hint of anger at the end of her sentence.

"What did I ever do to you..." Zoro grumbled to himself.

"So if that is all, when would you like me to send you back?" Umi asked with a smile.

"As far as you can go!" Luffy exclaimed.

Umi sighed, knowing she would probably fall into a deep slumber from the strain of sending them so far back. "Okay, five years it is. Brace yourselves, it might be a bumpy ride."

The deity spread her arms wide, causing an aqua circle to encompass the Strawhats, as she began to chant in an unknown language.

"Is that-" Robin started, began before being cut of by the ring of light dramatically increasing in brightness, until there was no choice but to shut her eyes. As the shine continued to grow, each of the pirates began to dissolve into dust that spiralled through the air before disappearing into the shadow of the surroundings. Finally, the light began to die down revealing the crew to be gone, and Umi once more alone in the darkness.

"Phew, that takes so much energy!" Umi gasped, sweat glistening on her forehead. "Well, time for a nice nap." The god yawned, making a giant bed appear before laying down on it. Just as she was about to fall of to sleep, her eyes snapped open in horror.

"I didn't tell them about the Butterfly Effect*! I totally forgot!" Umi cried in worry. "Oh well, can't do anything about it now, they'll probably be fine. Definitely." She said trying to convince herself. Knowing that the damage had been done, the god laid back down and drifted off to a well earned sleep.

 ***This is the island where they fought Akainu and the Marines in the New World**

 ***The idea that small changes in the initial conditions lead to drastic changes in the results(just in case you didn't know, and don't want to go on a Google search :)**

 **Thanks for reading! It took waaaaay longer then I thought it would to even get them into the past, but next chapter we will be in the past!**


	4. A Man's Reasoning

**Welcome back to One Piece Rebooted! I finally had a few reviews pile up, so I put a little response section at the end, enjoy! Oh, and I don't own One Piece!**

 _ **Holy Land of Mary Geoise, Pangaea Castle**_

A tall, shadowy figure knelt next to a dragonfly that was roosting on a particularly large leaf, his piercing, orange eyes watching the insect in amusement. The being held out his hand letting the bug walk onto his hand, raising it to be even with his head.

"You are lucky, friend, to live such a short, blissful life, unaware of all the strife and hate in the world." The silhouette stated in a deep, vibrating voice. "I wish I could return to when the days were simpler...but..." The man suddenly twitched as if startled by a sudden noise. "So she finally selected a champion. I suppose I have no choice but to respond in kind." The man sighed as if carrying the weight of the world on his back, before crushing the small creature in his hand mercilessly. "Bring the Fleet Admiral to me immediately!" He called to seemingly thin air.

Out of the seemingly solid wall, a door opened seamlessly, seconds after his demand, allowing a single person to step through the space before kneeling. As light shone on the figure, it was revealed to be an old, bald man wearing glasses, a white kimono, and wooden sandals on his feet while wielding a single large katana with a green handle and a four pointed crossguard. "My lord, is that wise? I thought your existence needed to remain a secret?" He questioned respectfully, raising his head.

"She has finally made her move, therefore it is time to add a new player to our ranks as well." The figure stated.

The bald man reeled in shock, but recovered quickly. "It has been centuries since the last, but this close to our goal I understand the need. I will return within the hour." The swordsman bowed once more before leaving the room even faster than he arrived, which was quite the feat.

Once his subordinate left, the shadow shook his head in disdain. "You never did learn from your mistakes, dear sister. Anything you can do, _I_ can do better."

 _ **East Blue, Dawn Island**_

Rage, grief, hopelessness. These were the feelings that Luffy felt as a collage of his worst memories raced through his head. Shanks losing his arm to the Lord of the Coast, believing Sabo died to the Celestial Dragon, Robin almost dying from Aokiji, fighting Usopp, the Going Merry dying after saving the crew one last time. The memories wouldn't stop as he relearned that Zoro tried to sacrifice himself while he slept, even though the crew had tried to hide it, forced to watch helplessly as Kuma made each of his friends vanish, Ace still dying after all he went through, _that fucker Akainu,_ and finally watching his friends-no, his family, be killed, one by one as he failed time and time again to save them. _I'm going to kill that bastard! He took everything from me!_

"Luffy, it's okay, wake up, it's just a dream," came a cheerful voice.

"I'm gonna make you pay!" Luffy screamed in hatred, unconsciously letting loose a burst of conqueror's.

'CRASH'

"Oi, Luffy, what the hell?! Wake up!"

'Bonk'

"Bastar-" Luffy began readying his fist. He trailed off, when he noticed the haphazardly placed boards and partially hammered nails that surrounded him, instead of the grassy island he was expecting. As he gazed around nostalgically, he finally noticed the huge the hole in the wall, and _way more importantly_ , the dead man standing in it. "Ace?" He questioned, tears pooling in his large eyes. "Is it really you?"

"Of course it's me, did you forget what your own brother looks like?" Ace responded, knocking Luffy on the head.

"Waaaa, you're alive!" cried Luffy, tears and snot streaming down his face, before shooting across the room to tightly hug his brother. "I don't even care that you hit me, whaaaa!"

"Whoa Luffy, it was just a bad dream, your brother isn't going to die for a good long while. He's too strong for that," Ace said, patting his brother on the back soothingly.

After a solid ten minutes of just holding Ace, afraid he would disappear if he let him go, Luffy finally released him. Wiping his eyes on his arm, like a little kid who was trying to be brave, he watched Ace, still in slight disbelief.

"It's okay, Luffy. I know you're sad that I'm leaving today, but we made a pact to follow our dreams. So we have to separate, no matter how bad it feels now. But we also planned to meet again on the sea, right?" recalled Ace, a faraway look in his eye.

"You're leaving already?" asked Luffy, surprised and disappointed.

"Did you forget today is my 17th birthday?" Ace sighed. "Still the same after all these years. Now come on and see your big brother off."

As Luffy walked with his brother, he tried to enjoy the little time he had left by playing around with him. In his mind, however, all he could think about was Akainu's bloodthirsty smirk and Blackbeard's victorious laugh. When the brothers finally reached the port, they were greeted by a small group of well wishers, including Makino, Woop Slap(even though he would never admit it), most of the bandits except Dadan, and a few of the villagers from Foosha.

"Alright everyone, I'm off!" Ace exclaimed with a giant grin on his face. "Luffy, when we next meet I expect you to actually give me a challenge!"

"I'll have to kick your ass if I'm going to be the King of the Pirates, idiot!" Luffy yelled, sticking his tongue out.

"Like you could, crybaby!" Ace responded, pulling his eyelid down.

Both of the brothers stared each other down, until matching grins split their faces.

"Shishishi! Hahaha!" They both broke down into laughter unable to keep up the facade any longer.

"See you on the ocean, little brother," Ace said boarding his dinghy.

"See ya, Ace," Luffy responded, a sorrowful look in his eye. "But one last thing..."

"Yeah, Luffy?" Ace asked, turning around.

"Remember, don't trust Teach-ers!" Luffy declared, putting odd inflection on the last word.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Ace humored, thinking his brother was joking.

"Ah, just get out of here you damn pirate, going to give this town a bad name..." Mayor Woop Slap grumbled. "We already get enough bad press with Dragon..."

"What he means to say," Makino corrected, giving the major a glare. "Is to have a safe journey and lots of adventures!"

"Good riddance you damn bum!" The bandits beamed, while waving energetically.

Without further ado, Ace unmoored his vessel and set out looking towards his future, a smile still on his face, but a single tear in his eye.

As Luffy watched his brother depart for the second time, all he could see was Ace with a hole in his chest telling him he was thankful that he loved him, even though he had a demon's blood.

"I wasn't strong enough last time, but I refuse to watch my brother die a second time," Luffy vowed, his face in shadow. "And any who try to stop me are going to be sent flying!"

"Hey, Luffy! Want some lunch? It'll be on the house!" Called Makino sweetly.

"Thanks, but I have to go train if I want to beat Ace!" Luffy waved back with a grin, turning around and heading back the way he had come.

"Okay, if you're sure..." Makino said shocked that Luffy would turn down food.

Once Luffy made his way back to the tree house, he sat down on the pile of blankets and pillows he and his brothers had slept on for years, readying himself for the arduous task ahead of him, thinking. He put a finger to his head as he tried to think about what he needed to do.

"So I have to get back to the same level of strength I had when I died, that's for sure," He said to himself, poking his squishy abdomen. "But how can I do that here? I can't navigate so there's no way to go somewhere else to train, but all the animals here are too weak..." He continued in that pose until actual steam began to shoot out of his ears. "I need to stop with all this thinking before I come down with a fever, maybe if I go eat some meat it'll help." Just as he had decided on a course of action, the young pirate heard the only sound that could utterly terrify him to the core.

"Luffy! Come give your Gramps a big hug!" Came an excited voice from outside.

"Damn, I forgot he came after Ace left to convince me to become a Marine again!" Luffy lamented his unreliable memory. "Gotta hide!"

"If you hide, you'll get an extra large Fist of Love for making me search for you!" Garp called out, anticipating his grandson's mindset causing him to freeze in place.

"And I was just about to start my plan to get strong- wait..." Luffy whispered to himself, still crouching in the tree house. "Rayleigh taught me over the 2 years about Haki, and he was Roger's Zoro, so Roger must have been stronger by at least a small amount, and Gramps...Gramps fought Roger...so if I want to get stronger than Rayleigh..." Luffy suddenly paled at his conclusion. "And this is why I hate planning!"

"Don't make me count!" Yelled the Marine Hero impatiently.

"I'm coming down! Don't punch!" Luffy ceded, beginning to climb down the ladder. _'It's for Ace and your crew, you have to do it!'_

As he climbed down, Luffy was allowed a view of his grandfather, revealing him to be wearing a light blue short sleeved shirt with small palm trees and plain khaki shorts. He had close-cropped, graying hair, beard and mustache, a faded scar that wrapped around his left eye, and a massive, almost taunting grin.

"Buhahaha! Did you finally learn some manners, brat?" Garp laughed. "And are you ready to be a great Marine?"

"Never! I'm still gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy proclaimed stubbornly.

"Ungrateful rascal! Do you know how many people would beg to be trained by me?" Garp asked in frustration. Luffy was suddenly urged to dodge by his Observation, so he swayed to the left, narrowly avoiding a Haki laced punch from his grandparent.

"That won't work on me anymore, Gramps," Luffy mocked.

"So you've been training, huh?" the older man stated, appearing behind Luffy with his hand raised once more. "I guess I can finally take off the kid gloves!"

"Fast!" Luffy turned, crossing his arms and using Haki to block out of habit. As the blow connected he felt the strength behind it, and jumped backward instinctively in order to lessen the power.

"While that was impressive, I know my cute grandson wouldn't be able to do that," Garp growled. "That was a move only someone who had been in many life and death battles could pull off, not to mention the use of Haki! So, are you going to tell me what you've done with him, or am I going to beat it out of you? I'll be honest, I hope you pick the second option."

"Wait!" Luffy yelled while waving his hands in front of himself, knowing he couldn't beat his grandfather in his current condition. "I _am_ Luffy!"

Garp grinned sadistically, coating his entire body in Armament. "Second option it is then."

"Stop! I can prove it!" The pirate exclaimed, moments before being forced to dodge once more. His grandfather's fist making a large crater where the fist had struck. "Ask me something only I could know!"

The Marine paused, becoming red-faced as he thought. "What did I do to train you?"

Luffy grimaced at the memories. "Threw me in the jungle for a week, threw me down a canyon, and threw me into the sky using balloons, thinking back you really just tossed me a bunch of places, then left."

Shocked, Garp released his Haki as he took several steps towards his descendant. "Luffy? It really is you? How do you have Armament, and from the way you were dodging my punches, Observation as well?"

Relieved that the man had stopped attacking, Luffy relaxed before suddenly sitting down. "It's quite the tale, you might want to take a seat."

Confused not only to the admittance that the boy could somehow could use Haki, and actually _knew_ what it was, but by the mature tone of his voice that was quite out of character. "Go ahead, I'm listening, though I doubt you can surprise me after all the things I've seen."

"I'm from the future." Luffy explained bluntly.

"Buhahaha!" Garp laughed, tears streaming down his face from the absurd response.

"I'm telling the truth!" The straw-hat wearing teen huffed in annoyance.

"And we're all descended from people who once lived on the Moon!" His grandfather continued to cackle. "Yeah right! So how did you actually learn about Haki? Did that damn Red Hair come back here?!"

"Leave Shanks out of this! And if he did, at least he would probably believe me!" Luffy argued childishly.

The Marine immediately stopped laughing, a slightly hurt look on his face. "Luffy, how am I supposed to believe that you are from the future? I've been to the Grand Line and seen things you probably couldn't even imagine, but I still can't accept that is possible."

"Island where it rains lightning, instead of water?" Luffy asked, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Okay, maybe Shanks-"

"Island stuck in the era of the dinosaurs?" The pirate said, his grin widening.

"Still-"

"Archipelago of food themed islands?" The time-traveler smirked in finality.

"You were in Big Mom's home turf?!" Garp shouted in disbelief.

"Beat her second-in-command too," Luffy proclaimed.

"I knew you would make a great Marine!" His grandfather cried, tears of happiness falling from his eyes.

"You realize I did that as a pirate, right?" Luffy questioned, knuckle deep in his nose.

Garp froze, his tears drying immediately. "You what?!"

"Uh-oh, maybe I shouldn't have said that..." The young man recognized, moving to escape his enraged pseudo-parent.

"Since you could defeat Katakuri, that means you can take quite the beating, right?" Garp exclaimed in full 'training' mode.

"It was more of a tie, really!" Luffy backpedaled.

"Shave!" Garp exclaimed, vanishing from sight. "Fist Cannon!" The Marine appeared right in front of his progeny, his Hardened hand ramming into the young man's stomach.

Luffy luckily had enough time to cover his stomach with Armament, but due to his weaker body he was catapulted into a tree, where he coughed up blood. "Damn, that felt like the top hat bastard, but a million times worse."

 _'Top hat?'_ Garp wondered briefly before rushing to Luffy's side. "What the hell! I though you were strong, brat?!" The man would never admit it, but in that instance he knew he had taken his 'training' too far.

"Well, I kind of got my body reset in the rewind..." Luffy chuckled, wiping the blood off his mouth. "And you don't have to hit me all the time, you know?!"

"Well, that's what you get for being a pirate and not an awesome Marine like me!" The old man excused, flexing.

"This is exactly what I mean about Shanks being cooler..." Luffy sweat dropped.

"Fist of Love!" Garp yelled, lightly bonking the rubberman on the head using Haki.

"Quit it Gramps!" The pirate whined, rubbing the bump on his head.

"Then follow in my footsteps, and let me train you!" The Marine smirked.

"Actually, that was something I wanted to talk to you about..." Luffy began, not sure how to ask his grandfather to train him, yet still be a pirate.

"Hm? What?" Garp questioned, pulling a bag of rice crackers from...somewhere.

"In the future...Ace..." Luffy stalled, uncomfortable talking with his grandfather about such intimate topics.

"Yeah, I know that brat ran off to be a pirate. What of it?" Garp grumbled through a mouth full of food.

"The Marines...they capture him to start a war with the Whitebeard Pirates." Luffy explained.

"So?" Garp asked obliviously, tipping the bag upside down to get the last precious grains.

"And that bastard Akainu killed him!" Luffy yelled in frustration, purple lightning shooting between him and Garp. "Don't you care? Roger left his son in your care and you threw him to bandits when he needed you, just like you did with me!" The boy finished, an old grudge coming to the forefront of his mind.

"It was to protect you! Both of you!" The man yelled, his face suddenly showing a great deal of repressed emotion. "What do you think would happen if the fucking 'Hero of the Marines' just up and retired in his prime? There would have been questions, people would have come snooping. And do you know what they would have found? The son of the bloody Pirate King and the son of the Most Wanted Man, Dragon, to boot!" Garp took a deep, shuddering breath as water pooled in the corner of his eyes. "I wanted to raise you like I did your father, and I'm sure he did as well, but sometimes you can't do what you want to, but what you _have_ to. I knew you would have people come to kill you sooner or later, that's why I put you through that extreme training, even what I did just now. It might have seemed heartless, but if you didn't learn to fight tooth and nail, you would have died sooner or later, especially with your chosen profession." The man chuckled sadly.

"Then why were you constantly pushing us to be Marines?!" Luffy exclaimed in bewilderment.

"So you wouldn't be, duh," Garp deadpanned . "I knew if you were anything like me, or your father, you would do the opposite of what I told you to do. If I actually wanted you to be a Marine, I would have taken you with me to Marineford."

"Oh," Luffy said dumbly, his entire world view shattered in a matter of moments. He had known his grandfather cared for him in his own special way, but he never would have thought the simple man would have such complicated reasoning.

Garp took another deep breath, wiping away unshed tears before lying down with his back against a tree. The man looked ten years older, his wrinkles more pronounced, his back more stooped, but also seemed relieved, as if a great burden had been lifted from him. "I know you love your brother, so I'm assuming you want to save him?"

It took a moment for Luffy to find his voice, as he thought back to that fateful day.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _ **Kalm Island, the New World**_

As various battles raged around him, Luffy could only see one man, the man who had taken his brother, _Akainu_ , _Sakazuki_ , or whatever you wanted to call the bastard. A Vice-Admiral with the top half of his face resembling a dalmatian suddenly charged, one Haki coated finger raised to strike the pirate. Luffy didn't turn to look at the man, simply raising his arm to block as he continued toward the subject of his ire. "Shockwave!" Yelled a voice to Luffy's side, that he didn't sense, causing him to whirl in surprise. Standing in the middle of the chaos stood his grandfather in full Marine regalia, his fist extending in the direction of the attacking Vice-Admiral. Luffy turned back toward the enemy to see that he was on the floor with a crushed chest.

"Gramps?! What are you doing here?!" Luffy asked, shocked.

"Well, a little birdy got wind that hot-pants over here was planning to ambush you, and I can't let my adorable grandson get killed, now can I?" Garp questioned, his ever-present grin in place."

"I thought you wanted me to be a Marine?" Luffy joked back.

"Well, I do believe that ship has sailed," The man said turning back to the other assembled Admirals, settling into a offensive stance. "How about we have some family bonding time?"

"You sure you can keep up?" Luffy teased.

"Can you?" Garp asked seriously as he jumped into the fray, proving the epithet 'Hero of the Marines' as he effortlessly knocked around his peers.

Luffy smirked then joined in on the beat down, happy that his grandfather had finally given up on berating him for being a pirate. Just as the last enemy standing between him and Akainu fell, he heard a grunt of pain accompanied by the sound of sizzling. He turned, only to see his parental figure holding the cauterized stump of his right arm.

"You really like your sneak attacks, don't you?" Garp sneered through gritted teeth.

"I do whatever is necessary to purge the world of evil," Akainu growled, magma dripping off his torso. "Which now includes you!"

Garp leapt out of the way as a burning hand, decimated the area he was previously occupying. "I'm way too old for this crap! I should have listened to Sengoku and retired!"

"Gramps! Are you okay?!" Luffy asked in horror at seeing another person lose a limb for him.

"It's just an arm, and you're still in the middle of a battle!" Garp yelled pushing Luffy out of the way of another clawing lava hand which pierced directly through the Marine's head, splattering burnt blood and brain matter all over Luffy.

"Grandpa!" Luffy screamed in grief, releasing a wave of Conqueror's that blasted everything around him away.

 ** _Flashback End_**

"Not just him..." Luffy said to himself.

"What was that? My ears aren't as good as they used to be!" Garp said loudly, pretending to dig around in his ear. _'If he doesn't want to tell me, he doesn't have to.'_

"Nothing," Luffy deflected. "Will you train me?"

"Let me think about it...nope!" Garp said, tapping his forehead.

"What? Why not? You just rambled about how you didn't care if I was a pirate!" Luffy yelled in irritation.

"Because..." Luffy leaned forward, expecting some convoluted reason, even though he didn't even know what convoluted meant. "You didn't say 'please'!"

Luffy face-faulted so hard the ground cracked. "Don't play with my head like that!" Luffy screamed, his grandfather pounding the ground as he laughed from his joke.

Once Garp recovered, his expression became solemn again. "I'll train you, I think I can get away with finally officially retiring. However, higher ups in the Marines will probably recognize my techniques causing your bounty to skyrocket." The Marine warned.

"Once I'm Pirate King my bounty might be even higher than Dad's, so that's no big deal." Luffy waved off.

"If you're sure." Garp pulled out a Transponder Snail from his shirt pocket where it had been sleeping. He proceeded to dial in Sengoku's personal number, then waited for him to pick up.

"Garp, I swear to the Five Elder Stars if this isn't important, I'm going to stick you with a week of paperwork!" A deep, raspy voice exclaimed irritably from the snail's mouth.

"It is I swear!" Garp defended.

"You say that every time!" Sengoku interrupted. "And it's always about being out of rice crackers!"

"Well, it's something different this time!" The Hero laughed at his friends anger. "I've been at home relaxing on the beach, and I decided to finally retire! You'll fill out the paperwork right? Thanks bye!" Garp hung up immediately, but Luffy swore he could hear a faint yell of "Gaaaaarrrrrppppp!" on the wind.

"Now that is taken care of," Garp grinned sadistically. "Prepare for hell!"

At the sight of his grandfather's face, Luffy audibly gulped as the blood drained from his face.

 **Thanks for reading as always! Let me know what you think of Garp's confession and the opening scene. Also, first chapter over 4k words before the Author's notes!**

 **Now onto the reviews:**

 **ItzHyperion: Is your name a reference to the Titan? Cuz I love Greek mythology! Anyways, I hope I don't drop this story either, especially since I've been having so much fun writing it!**

 **Jurrasicdinodrew: Thanks for all the reviews! There will be more females joining the crew, but Vivi will not be joining because I have something planned for her, unfortunately.**

 **Unbridler Girl: Interesting idea to have them hopping through different eras, I might just steal that for later on! And you were right about Umi, congrats!**

 **Queen Allura: Glad you liked it!**

 **Melonyandjoshua092: I hope I meet your expectations!**

 **Matt: I fixed chapter two, and I think you'll enjoy Nami's scenes once we get to her!**

 **Bloody Rogue dragon deity king: Sorry that you felt that way! I really just stop where I think is a good place, hopefully this chapter won't hurt as bad.**

 **Redwreck: Thanks for the compliment! Don't worry there will be more Umi in the future, she just has to rest up a bit!**

 **Buterflypuss: Thanks!**

 **P.S. I probably won't do the review responses every chapter, just when I feel like it.**


	5. Hell Hath No Fury

**Hey guys I'm back and I still don't own One Piece so, enjoy!**

 _ **East Blue, Conomi Islands**_

Nami shot up from her bed in Arlong Park, a cold sweat breaking out on her skin. As she looked around, recognizing all the different stacks of nautical maps and that accursed desk, which was covered in blood and ink stains. For a moment, the navigator thought everything had been a blissful dream, and she was finally back in her waking nightmare, then she felt something in the bed with her. Looking down, it was her Clima-Tact in all it's glory, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank Umi!" She said to herself, glad that all her memories weren't imagination. "Now I just have to wait for Jinbei to get here and take care of those damn fish!"

With a satisfied smile, the navigator got out of bed in order to get ready for the day. Deciding to reminisce, she wore her old white and blue striped shirt, lamenting when she realized how much her bust had decreased. "It will be a lot harder using my sex appeal than I was used to..." Shrugging her shoulders, she pulled on the orange miniskirt with white circles on the side, finishing up the outfit with her sensible brown boots.

 _'Ah, this brings me back.'_ Nami thought, remembering when a certain straw hat wearing teen had fallen from the sky, changing her life forever.

'SLAM'

Nami whirled in surprise when the door to her room was roughly opened. Seeing her childhood oppressor standing in the doorway wearing his toothy sneer, the red haired teen instinctively flinched in fear.

"Ah, Nami dear, you're already awake, good," Arlong purred, as he looked her everywhere but in the eyes. "But why are you not transcribing the maps I left you? It would be a shame if someone were to die because you didn't fill your quota."

"I was getting dressed, you wouldn't want a disgusting human prancing around naked would you?" Nami quipped, regaining her composure.

"Well, like I've said before, you're different than most," the saw-tooth fishman stated, licking his lips.

Sickened, Nami grabbed the door and began closing it on the monster. "I will have them done before noon, but I actually have to be able to concentrate."

Arlong seemed to consider this before turning around and walking away. "You'd better be..." He called back ominously.

When the teen finished closing the door, she rested her back against it, then slid to the ground where she began to sob into her hands. _Why did she have to return to this horrible place?_

When a knock on the door pulled her from her stupor, she began wiping her tears away so the bastard wouldn't get the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Once she was ready, she opened the door once more, stunned to see Hatchan, instead, framed in the doorway, his six hands poking their index fingers together.

"Ha-hachi? What are you doing here?" Nami asked, accidentally using his nickname.

Raising an eyebrow at the slip, Hatchan motioned inside the room. "May I come in?"

"Sure," Nami stood aside, allowing him access to the room. This hadn't happened the first time, so she wasn't sure what to expect.

"Once you finish your maps," The octopus fishman began, a serious look on his face. "You should set out to gather more treasure."

"I was going to anyway, but why?" The navigator questioned in confusion.

"Because, me, Kuroobi, and Chew are going to attempt to overthrow Arlong." Hatchan explained, to her utter astonishment. "I can stand his ways any more, and while I understand his reasoning, he's becoming the exact thing he wants to destroy."

"WHAT?!" Nami screamed in surprise.

"SHHHHH!" The fishman yelled, putting three different pointer fingers against his lips. "No one else can know! I probably shouldn't even tell you, but I don't want you to be killed in his rage if we fail."

"I can kind of understand why _you_ would turn on him, but why would Kuroobi and Chew?" The navigator asked after regaining her wits.

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but just like Arlong was a slave, those two were captured as well, but managed to escape on their own," Hachi explained. "So that's why they joined him, but recently he has been treating the weaker fishmen with disdain, saying things like 'you're no better than humans' and 'weaklings should just die'. They still don't really care about humans, but they have a bit more honor than Arlong."

"Then why did you join him?" Nami wondered.

"I joined him because he was my friend, and I looked up to him," Hatchan shook his head sadly. "But recently I can no longer ignore the way he acts. He used to be quite fun to be around, believe it or not."

"Well if that's the case," Nami said, gripping her Clima-Tact. "Let me help you!"

"How are you going to help us?" He asked pointing at her staff. "I don't think that little piece of wood will do much to Arlong."

"You would be surprised," Nami smirked, twirling it like a baton. "If you can let me fight Arlong one-on-one, I'm sure I can beat him."

"I've seen you try to kill him before! What makes now any different?!" The fishman exclaimed before quickly using six hands to cover his mouth.

"Just wait and see, besides what do you have to lose?" The red-head asked rhetorically. "I'll at the very least tire him out a bit, and I'm still just a filthy human, right?"

Hatchan looked conflicted, but couldn't seem to come up with any solid counter arguments, so instead threw his arms up in exasperation. "Fine! Kill yourself if you want to, it will give us better chances at any rate." He then opened the door before looking over his shoulder. "I will tell the others to wait for your move, but be quick about it." He finished walking through the door, closing it behind him.

Nami grinned to herself in excitement. "I'm going to get to kill that bastard with my own hands now! It always bothered me that he escaped last time. The only reason I didn't want to fight Arlong myself is that I didn't think I could handle all the of the commanders alone, but that problem is solved now!" She squealed in delight, before repositioning the grip on her weapon and leaving the room as well, a new spring in her step.

As she walked through the hallways of Arlong Park, every soul she met flinched in fear from the maniacal grin plastered on her face. Giggling to herself in anticipation, she strode up to the throne Arlong lounged in, whacking him across the face with enough force to actually unseat the tyrant. Instantly, the surrounding fishmen rushed to restrain her, but were stopped by their three lieutenants.

"You sure this a good idea? Chew." the smelt-whiting fishman asked.

"Yeah, what if she turns on us?" the gi sporting fishman wondered suspiciously.

"Even if she can defeat Arlong, I'm sure our might combined with her exhaustion will allow us victory." Hatchan answered with uncharacteristic clarity.

"So, you've managed to turn my closest associates against me, huh?" Arlong growled, picking himself up from the floor. "I'm impressed, I admit, I didn't foresee this outcome, but it just means they were too weak to bring about my revolution!"

"No, Arlong!" Kuroobi yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his captain. "You've turned into a caricature of those damned Celestial Dragons! Just look at this place," the fishman spread his arms. "It looks just like Sabaody!"

"Yeah, we know that humans are the weaker race, and that they should serve us, but if we just slaughter them randomly we would be no better then the human's we hate, chew," Chew continued, although his knees shook ever so slightly. "Plus, if they're all dead, who would wait on us? Chew."

"And the most insulting thing is you've begun to treat our brothers just like the humans!" Hatchan shouted indignantly.

"I would never harm a fellow fishman!" Arlong argued savagely. "I just don't accept failure! How could a superior creature like _me_ ever be defeated by human? Therefore any who lose to humans must not be _true_ fishmen!"

At that Nami began laughing hysterically, bringing everyone's attention back to the navigator. "Superior? Don't make me laugh. You can't even make maps, you muscle-brained racist!" She then released a small amount of mist that covered her form completely, then dispersed revealing seven Nami clones of varying proportions. "Mirage Tempo: Fata Morgana!"

"What, you think just because you ate a Devil's Fruit that you can beat me?" Arlong snarled, sniffing the air before shooting towards the largest of the doppelgangers. "You can't hide with cheap tricks, I can still smell where you are!"

The former Sun pirate speared right through the illusion nose first, smirking at his assumed victory. He then let loose a scream of pain from the electricity surging through his body.

"Lightning Clone," Nami's disembodied voice echoed around the area. "And I didn't eat a Devil Fruit, this is just the power of science, you know, that thing humans study?"

"I could smell you!" Arlong raged, electricity still sparking off his blackened body. "How did fake that?!"

"Perfume and a bit of my blood," the Nami clones mouthed in sync, as a white object flew into the air. "Weather egg! Hatch Lightning-chan!" They yelled as the egg released a massive amount of storm clouds, turning the once clear day into a fierce thunderstorm.

"What the hell is happening?!" Chew yelled fearfully.

"I don't know, but I think we should get out of here!" Kuroobi exclaimed, herding the rest of the fishmen out of Arlong Park.

"Agreed!" Hatchan shouted over the growing howl of the wind.

"Thunder Breed Tempo!" The navigator yelled, her illusions swinging their staves downward causing a massive lightning bolt to fall towards Arlong.

"No! This isn't possible!" Arlong screamed in panic, his eyes searching for an escape. "Where did you get this power!"

"The future, bitch," Nami answered as the bolt struck, making the fishman convulse in pain before falling unconscious, his body burnt beyond recognition. When the attack ended, Nami stood ready assured that her oppressor would stand, shrugging off the attack. After a few minutes of waiting she relaxed, realizing she had defeated him, and rather easily at that. "I guess after spending so much time around monsters, I ended up turning into one myself." She said to herself, still in shock that she had bested her childhood tormentor.

Looking over at the rest of the area, she decided to scour her trauma completely, by destroying it. "Weather Egg!" She called once more, creating another ovum. "Come out Tornado-chan!" Introducing a high pressure system into the thunderstorm caused the wind to begin swirling, until a huge twister touched down on the top of Arlong Park. The tornado tore a path around the area, throwing buildings, trees, and furniture into the surrounding sea until nothing was left except an empty swath of land.

'Splash'

'Thud'

Nami whirled, expecting to see a fishman attempting to sneak up on her, but instead smiled seeing the newcomer. "Looks like you missed the show." The navigator joked.

"Indeed, it seems you didn't need my assistance after all," Jinbei smiled surveying the damage. "But I did catch a rat trying to sneak away." He threw a small, mousy looking man on the ground at Nami's feet.

"I'm a Marine! You can't treat me this way!" The man yelled, his distinctly vermin-like face scrunched in fear.

"Oh, you're Nezumi right?" Nami recalled from when he stole her treasure for Arlong. "Don't you work for Arlong?"

"What do you mean? I was just about to arrest that pirate scum!" Nezumi insisted quickly.

"No, I'm pretty sure I've seen you accepting bribes from him several times..." The teen responded, pretending to think back. "Actually, I'm sure of it!"

"So this guy has been accepting bribes from a known pirate?" Jinbei affirmed, knocking the corrupt Marine out. "I guess I'll drop him off at the closest Marine base, after I put my fellows in line of course."

"Thanks Jinbei, so you already rounded up Hody and his gang? That sure was fast!" Nami stated in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you for at least a week."

"I forgot I had some business to deal with on Cozia, so I decided to come here first," Jinbei explained.

"What were you doing there?" Nami questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh just meeting an old student of mine who needed some help," Jinbei answered ambiguously.

Nami sensed it wasn't that simple, but could tell he didn't want to talk about it at the moment, so let the issue drop. She then turned to where the rest of the Arlong Pirates had retreated and started in their direction. "Let's go shall we?"

"Of course, but allow me to lead the way, I wouldn't want them attacking you on sight after that display." The whale shark fishman cautioned, over taking her lead.

"Sure." The navigator allowed, slightly nervous being around the man by herself.

"You know I'm not going to bite, right?" The helmsman asked, trying to break the ice.

"Sorry, its just a bit weird since I just fought one of your previous crewmates," Nami confessed. "I know you're nothing like him, but its just..."

"I understand, but you should know even though we were comrades I never truly trusted him," Jinbei assured her. "He was always violent and arrogant, even towards other fishmen. He only respected me because I was stronger than him."

"Oh, well that's good to know," Nami smiled before extending her hand to the martial artist. "Allow me to be the first to officially invite you to the Straw Hat Pirates, then."

Jinbei grasped her hand in his webbed one, shaking it firmly. "Well, it's one step in the right direction for reconciliation. How about we go make another?" He asked smiling as well.

"Sounds great!" She responded, as they walked parallel towards Cocoyashi Village.

 **Sorry about the length, I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter, but I think it turned out alright. It also always bothered me that Hatchan was fine with Arlong for 10 years, but after getting his ass kicked flips the script, so I changed it to where it was a gradual thing that he decided to act on. Anyways, let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!**


	6. Usopp, Brave Warrior of the Sea

**Hi guys, I'm back with another chapter of One Piece: Rebooted! I don't own One Piece! Enjoy!**

 _ **East Blue, Gecko Island**_

"Hey Boss! Wake up!" A muffled, young voice shouted. "We're gonna be late for the morning run!"

"Hn?" Usopp wondered, squinting his eyes from the dawning sun. "What?"

"Get up!" Came another, congested voice. "It's time to go!"

The sniper got out of bed in confusion, walking to the front door of his house before opening it. Greeting him were three young boys, the first wore an orange bandanna over the purple hair that covered his eyes, whereas the second wore a green, bell pepper shaped hat that covered his hair completely, and the last had light brown hair and glasses. Each wore sashes around their waists with wooden swords holstered through them.

"What are you doing, captain?!" Pepper questioned impatiently. "Aren't we waking up the town?"

"Holy sh-" Usopp started, cutting himself off when he remembered the children in front of him. "It really happened!"

"What did?" The trio asked in confusion.

"I...I had a totally awesome dream!" Usopp lied, deciding not to tell them about his time-traveling. _'They probably wouldn't believe me anyways, or worse, they would.'_

"So are we gonna shake up this boring town?" Onion asked, brandishing his wooden sword.

"Actually," Usopp began, rubbing his chin. "How about instead, I show you guys how a brave warrior of the seas fights!"

"Really?!" The three children yelled in excitement.

"Oh course! Now run along to the training grounds!" Usopp shooed them along. "I'll be there soon!"

"Aye-Aye Captain!" The kids saluted before running off.

With that Usopp turned around, shutting the door behind him, and walked back to his bedroom. As he scanned the room, childhood memories floated through his head bringing a smile to his face. "I really did miss this place, but where is it?" He wondered, still looking for his weapons. "Umi said she would sent them back with me!"

After scouring his room without success, he moved on to the rest of the house. "Oh!" He exclaimed, finding his knapsack and Kuro Kabuto lying on the dining room table, along with a small note. Picking it up he read aloud. "You should have a little faith, yeah? I am a god after all!-Umi." Usopp sweat dropped. "Sorry, sheesh! Now to get ready for the day!"

As he disrobed, the teen let loose a cry of horror. "NO! Not my abs! My beautiful, toned abs!" Usopp cried pounding the floor. "Why?!"

"Hello? Are you okay in there!" Came a concerned voice.

Startled out of his mourning, the pirate quickly finished putting on his brown overalls and mesh cap to hold in his voluminous hair. He then ran once more to his front door, opening it a bit too quickly causing him to smash his hand in the wall. "Ouch!"

"Are you alright?!" The young, blonde female exclaimed, rushing to check his hand.

"Kaya?!" What are you doing here?!" Usopp exclaimed in shock, allowing her to look at his fingers.

"You should be more careful!" Kaya admonished. "You could have broke something!"

"But I didn't, so its fine!" The sniper dismissed. "But what are you doing here? I rarely see you outside the mansion."

"Well..." The girl trailed off, scratching her cheek. "My parents told me I spend to much time indoors reading about medicine. They said it would make me 'sickly'. So they made me go outside with some kids my age..."

 _'Well they weren't wrong...'_ Usopp thought to himself. "But that still doesn't explain what you're doing here?"

"Well, you're really the only other kid around my age, so I thought...I could, you know...see what you do?" Kaya asked shyly.

"S-sure, I can do that," the teen responded, blushing slightly. "Follow me!"

As they walked along in awkward silence, Usopp thought back to when he had met her the first time.

 _ **Flashback**_

Usopp ran from the villagers as they threw food, pans, and even rocks at him, as he laughed uproariously. He ran up the hill towards the mansion and, in an attempt to escape, he jumped into the bushes surrounding the building. Conveniently, there was a space allowing him to fit through, where he fell on his face when he got to the other side.

"Kyaa!" Came a scream in front of him. Looking up he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen or imagined, causing him to freeze for a moment. A stinging slap to his left cheek woke him from the daydream, however, causing him to clutch it in pain.

"Oi, what was that for?!" The sniper demanded, massaging the area.

"You're trespassing on private property, Pervert!" The young woman yelled indignantly.

"Pervert?! I'm just hiding from the villagers!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Liar! I've heard all about you from Merry!" Kaya proclaimed.

"I swear I wasn't doing anything bad!" The man insisted. "To prove it, I'll do anything you ask me to!"

"Really?" The landowner asked thoughtfully. "Anything?"

"Yes, anything." Usopp nodded.

"Tell me a story." Kaya chose.

"A story? Why?" The long nosed man questioned.

"I'm sick so I can't leave this place very often, and because you promised!" The mistress demanded.

"Okay! Okay! I call this tale 'Captain Usopp and the Yeti of Winter Island'..."

 _ **Flashback End**_

"Captain!" A young voice pulled him from his memories. "You're finally here!"

Shaking his head, Usopp noticed they had already arrived at the training grounds, if you could call it that. The area consisted of a flat clearing in the woods and a poorly constructed wooden training dummy, a goofy face drawn on the head. Standing in the center stood Pepper and Carrot, with Onion suspiciously absent.

"Who's this, boss?" Pepper asked, pointing at Kaya. "You're girlfriend?"

"Don't make ridiculous assumptions!" Ussop yelled, hitting the boy on the head. "Now this is Kaya, she doesn't get out much so make her feel welcome!"

"Aye-Aye!" The children affirmed, saluting.

"Now, I said I was going to show you how to fight like a pirate, didn't I?" The sniper asked, rummaging in this ammo bag.

"Wait, pirates?" Kaya wondered. "Why would you want to be a pirate? They're horrible bandits of the sea, right?"

Usopp gasped dramatically. "How dare you?!" He accused, pointing a finger at her. "Pirates are brave warriors of the sea that follow their dreams no matter what!"

"Yeah, pirates are the best!" The duo confirmed in the background.

"Really?" The young woman asked naively, stars in her eyes.

 _'So cute!'_ Usopp thought, blushing. "Yes, but in order to achieve your dreams, sometimes you have to fight for them! So that's what I will be teaching today!"

"It's horrible! Come quick!" A voice panted behind them. Turning around, Usopp could see Onion running towards them through the woods, yelling and waving his hands.

"What's wrong?" The pirate questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It's pirates!" Onion exclaimed, pointing back the way he had come. "Pirates are attacking!"

"You're lying," Usopp deadpanned. _'Pirates never attacked before, so he must be messing around...'_

"No, I'm serious! We gotta tell the villagers to hide!" The boy insisted, beginning to pull on his pant leg.

"If this isn't a joke, go tell the villagers to escape!" The sniper commanded, readying his weapon.

"And what are you gonna do?!" Kaya questioned.

Usopp laughed haughtily. "Go scare off some pirates, of course." He said turning towards the coast.

"Don't be ridiculous! You're not a real pirate, they'll kill you!" The woman yelled, grabbing his arm.

"Well just like your dreams, sometimes you have to fight for what you love," Usopp said resolutely, before flushing bright red. "Meaning the village, of course, not anything else!"

Kaya cocked her head in confusion. "Well either way, I can't let you go by yourself! I'm coming with you!" She stated, hands on her hips.

"But-"

"No buts!" The aspiring doctor interrupted.

"Fine!" Usopp sighed, once more readying to leave. "Just stay behind me!"

As they ran towards the sea, Usopp tried to sense where the pirates were using his Observation Haki. Suddenly his mind was assaulted by a multitude of auras reeking of bloodlust, causing him to stumble.

"Damn!" The teen complained, rubbing his head. "I'm still not used to using it!"

"What happened now?!" Kaya wondered, seeing nothing physically wrong.

"Nothing, just a headache, but the pirates are this way!" Usopp deflected, pointing a little to the right.

As they raced out of the foliage, the two teens came upon a small group of outlaws disembarking from a small, single-masted frigate. On the sail was a Jolly Roger consisting of a frowning skull superimposed over a crossed cutlass and musket. At the forefront, a bald man with a small, diagonal scar above his left eye, a distinctly monkey-like face, and a tattered Captain's cloak stood, screaming orders to the rest of the pirates. When the marauders noticed the duo, cruel and lecherous grins appeared on their faces as they looked the two teens up and down.

"Oh ho, what do we have here?" The captain queried, rubbing the scruff on his face. "Two early presents for my crew, it would seem."

"I am 'God Usopp' of the Straw Hat Pirates, and this island is under my protection," Usopp proclaimed, momentarily forgetting he was in the past. "Leave now and no one gets hurt!"

 _'Straw Hat Pirates?'_ Kaya wondered.

The captain laughed evilly. "If we just turned tail and ran every time someone came up with an absurd threat, we wouldn't be very good pirates, now would we boys?" He asked, to which his crew cheered. "Now, how about you hand yourselves over and we won't make you watch when we have our 'fun' with the girl."

"Well, I offered," Usopp shrugged, pulling a single green pellet from his bag. "Certain kill, Green Star!" He yelled, using his old slingshot to shoot the seed into the middle of the pirates.

"Ha, you missed!" Taunted one of the underlings.

"I didn't finish," The sniper explained, wagging his finger. "Bamboo Javelins!"

Instantly, a huge grove of pointed bamboo shot up from the ground, brutally impaling the pirates. Screams of pain and blood erupted from them, staining the ground a dark red. As Usopp watched impassively, Kaya let loose a scream of horror, falling to her knees, unaccustomed to such violence.

"You bastard!" Yelled the captain in shock, before charging. "How dare you do this to the Tacobo pirates!"

"How dare you threaten my friend!" Usopp countered, raising his slingshot once more. "Green Star: Skull Bomb-grass!"

The seed flew through the air, colliding with Tacobo, just as he was about to jump off the side of the ship. When it connected, a massive explosion detonated, incinerating the ship and the captain with it, ending with an ominous red skull made of smoke floating about the wreckage.

 _'Well they certainly were weak.'_ Usopp thought to himself, when he heard crying next to him. Turning, he saw Kaya hugging herself, tears streaming down her face. "Kaya? Did you get hurt?" He asked in concern, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me! Murder!" Kaya yelled in fear, curling even further into a ball. "You just killed 20 people like it was no big deal!"

"What? Didn't you hear them?!" The young man yelled back. "They were going to kill us, or worse! Then they would have done the same to the villagers, and I told you not to come! You have to understand!"

"How could I ever understand a pirate!" Kaya spat, before running away.

Shocked and hurt, Usopp watched her run away, unable to make himself go after her. "Well I sure fucked up." He said to himself as he sat down gazing at the bodies strewn around the beach. "I got so used to fighting for my life, I didn't think..." He trailed off reaching once more into his arsenal and flinging another pellet at the area. "Green Star: Devil." He mumbled as a giant Venus Flytrap appeared and began eating the corpses.

 **That ending wound up being a bit darker than I had originally planned...but oh, well, I can't just gloss over the fact that he has literally man-eating plants like Oda can. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews and I'm sorry for the shorter chapters, but I've been quite busy lately. I will continue, but they might be a little slower than they once were. Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of your day!**


	7. Hidden Past

**I don't own One Piece, enjoy!**

 _ **East Blue, Toshi* Island**_

In the middle of a serene, grassy clearing, a muscular, green haired teen wearing nothing but black pants held up by a green sash, black boots, and three swords at his waist, snoozed in the afternoon sun. Suddenly he awoke, grabbing the white-hilted blade at his waist, partially drawing it. Looking around in what seemed to be fear, the man eventually sighed, resheathing the katana.

"Well, looks like I didn't go back far enough," Zoro thought aloud, shaking his head. "But I guess it's time to get back to training!"

With that said, he immediately stood up, looking around for something heavy to lift. Seeing a trio of large rocks in the distance, he began in their direction stretching as he walked. Once he reached them, he pulled out his trusty workout rope, and tied it around the smallest of the three, putting one end in his mouth to strengthen his neck and jaw muscles. The other two he balanced on the back of his forearms, with the limbs spread, making him look like a human 'T'. Deciding he would hold this pose for 2 hours he let his mind wander, trusting his internal clock to tell him when he was done. After Umi's reaction to him, he couldn't help but wonder who his parents were, a fact he had never actually bothered asking himself. The swordsman had always assumed they were either dead, couldn't care for him, or _wouldn't_ care for him, which in all cases it didn't matter who they were. Now, however, he had someone resent him for his parent's, which left him unsettled.

"Dammit!" Zoro yelled, unable to stop thinking about the matter. "I'll just go ask Koshiro, if anybody would know, it would be him!"

With that decided, he let the boulders drop to the floor where they cracked the ground. Walking towards Shimotsuki Village, Zoro thought back to his previous time here, smiling from the memories. Holding up Wado Ichimonji, the swordsman reaffirmed his oath to his dead friend. "I got another chance, for both of us, and I promise I'll defeat that man this time around. Definitely!" He shouted to heavens, making the wild animals around him scurry away in fear from the sudden sound.

Once he reached the outskirts of the village, after several detours due to his directional sense, or lack thereof, Zoro headed toward the dojo, greeting everyone he knew along the way. When he arrived, he sighed nostalgically, feeling the well worn wood under his feet, tasting the slight tang of sweat, and hearing the consistent yells of effort floating on the air, putting him at ease. Sliding open the traditional shoji, Zoro stepped into the room causing all the occupants to stop and look at him.

"Its Zoro-senpai!" Called one of the younger students. "Are you going to show us a cool technique today?"

"Er, I really just came to speak with Sensei," Zoro confessed, to the students disappointment.

"C'mon please?" The children begged. "You're the strongest student from our dojo!"

"Ah, Zoro-kun, surely you could showcase what hard work in swordsmanship can result in?" The middle-aged man, wearing his hair in a ponytail, questioned.

"S-sure," Zoro acquiesced, not used to having such attention. "Do you have anything metal? Like a bar?"

"Metal? I'm sure I have some spare pipes laying around somewhere, but why would you need that?" Koshiro asked, intrigued.

"You'll see when I get it," Zoro smirked, walking to the front of the class.

"Okay..." The sword master accepted, pointing to one of his students. "Kenshin! Go get a pipe from the store room!"

"Yes, Sensei!" The young man stated, rushing out of the room. After a few minutes, the student returned holding a rusty length of pipe which he presented to Zoro, who shook his head.

"Thank you, but if would stand across from me while holding the item vertically." Zoro said, gesturing.

Without a word, the boy bowed before assuming the position asked of him.

"In the world," the green-haired teen lectured. "There are people who can cut anything, even steel!"

"For real?" The students asked in wonder.

"Yes! And just recently..." Zoro confirmed, while pausing for effect. "I became one of them!"

"NO WAY!" The trainees screamed, astonished that someone from their dojo would be capable of such a feat. Koshiro, on the other hand, simply raised an eyebrow at the teen's claim.

"Now watch carefully! One Sword Style..." Zoro began, placing Wado Ichimonji vertically behind his right hip, while holding the hilt in a reverse grip. "Death Lion Song!" He finished, quickly slashing the pipe before sheathing the sword. At the same as his sword clicked back into place, the pipe split vertically.

"Whoa!" Kenshin yelped, dropping the two separate pieces, expecting his hands to be cut.

After his demonstration, Zoro replaced the sword at his hip and turned back to the stunned disciples. "Now, the most important thing in swordsmanship is intent, notice how the pipe has been cut, but Kenshin's hands were not. A master cuts only what he chooses."

 _'That technique...'_ Koshiro thought in shock. "Very impressive, Zoro-kun. Now students, please thank him for showing you something rarely seen."

"Thank you, Senpai!" The class yelled, bowing in appreciation.

"Now I want one hundred Men strikes, Batto will lead while I speak with Zoro-kun," Koshiro instructed, raising from his kneeling position. "Right this way." The teacher indicated the door to the next room. Following his master, Zoro stepped into the dining room of the house, sliding the door shut behind him. He then took a seat at the small, circular table across from Koshiro as the sounds of exertion continued behind him.

"What did you want to speak with me about today, Zoro-kun?" The aging swordsman questioned. "From your display I doubt there is much more I can teach you..."

"Its not that," Zoro dismissed, taking a deep breath. "Do...do you know who my parents were?" The teen asked hesitantly.

"Your parents?" Koshiro responded in surprise. "What has brought this to your mind, you never seemed concerned about that subject before?"

"I...met someone that recognized my family name, and they were, lets say, less than pleased to hear it." The green-haired teen explained.

"Oh? Well from what I know, the orphanage found you outside their door with a note that said your name and that bandanna you always wear." Koshiro recalled, tapping a finger to his chin.

"Really? The lady just gave it to me when I was four, and she never said anything like that..." Zoro said, gazing thoughtfully at his headwear. _'I did always feel a connection to it though...'_

"Who recognized your name, perhaps you could find someone related to them?" The teacher suggested.

"It was just a wandering swordsman, and they refused to tell me what the grudge was even about," The time traveler lied, thinking his mentor would believe him to be crazy.

"That is...unfortunate, I apologize for not being more helpful," Koshiro smiled, patting his students shoulder consolingly.

"I still appreciate what you told me, Sensei," Zoro thanked, standing up. "Once I begin my journey to find the World's Strongest Swordsman, I may find answers, but until then, I need to train!" He stated, the nagging voice in his mind put to rest. "Good luck with your teachings." Opening the door once more he waved to the students in farewell, before immediately turning around and ending up back in the dining room.

"Was there something else you needed, Zoro-kun?" Koshiro teased.

"No! The room just turned around!" Zoro exclaimed, his cheeks pink.

Turning around once more, the teen successfully made his way out of the dojo, heading back to the clearing he had started in. Placing the rope back into his mouth, Zoro once more hefted the rocks and settled into his position, with his mind thankfully silent.

 _ **The New World, Baltigo**_

Next to a window showcasing the beautiful white sands, a Den-Den Mushi sat sleeping peacefully under the warm light that spilled through the opening. Feeling a message from its kin, the mollusk raised its head and began yelling. "Puru-puru-puru, puru-puru-puru, puru-puru-puru!"

A cloaked figure blew into the room, his face shadowed by the hood he wore low on his head. "Puru-puru, ca-lick!"

"Hello, this is headquarters, what do have to report?" The man questioned in a low, bass.

"Leader, it's Koshiro," the Den-Den Mushi mouthed, wearing tiny glasses and a thin smile.

"Koshiro?! What news do you bring?!" The figure demanded, a brief flutter of his cloak revealing a red, crosshatched tattoo running down the left side of his face.

"The boy, he has finally begun to question his past," Koshiro reported, his smile wavering. "He says that he met a wandering swordsman who held a grudge against his family."

"Hmm, keep an eye on him, if he continues digging into his past we may have to enact preemptive measures," The silhouette ordered, pulling his cloak tighter around him. "I know you left this life, but this is of grave importance!"

"I understand, that's why I called in the first place, I will keep you up to date on any new information." The ex-Revolutionary confirmed, ending the connection.

"A storm, the likes of which is rarely seen, is brewing," the man grinned. "But what side will weather it, I wonder?"

 **Dun, dun, dun!**

 **I guess I lied in the last chapter, but I finished this one relatively fast, aren't you guys lucky? Anyways, I would love to hear some theories from you guys! *Also, this is probably pretty easy to figure out, but since Oda never actually gave a name for Zoro's home island I named it Toshi. Google translate says that's what 'year' is in Japanese and because his home village's name is actually an archaic way of saying 'November' I thought it fit well, but let me know what you think! Lastly, I went a bit further on the Weeb meter, using honorifics and such, but this will only be on Zoro's island, and if we get there, Wano, since they are heavily based on Japanese culture. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Belief

**Hi guys, welcome back to One Piece: Rebooted! I don't own One Piece!**

 **P.S. There will be review responses at the end!**

 _ **East Blue, The Floating Restaurant: Baratie**_

With a gasp, Sanji jolted upward rubbing his shoulders to warm himself from the morning chill. Looking around, he took in the spartan surroundings and recognized them immediately, even though they were shrouded in gloom. Not wanting to climb out of bed, the cook simply sat with a bittersweet smile, reminiscing about his time with Zeff.

"So, I'm actually back, huh?" Sanji wondered aloud. "It'll be nice to see the shitty geezer again."

Finally pulling himself from the covers, he walked to his wardrobe and removed one of his several identical black suits, as well as a blue dress shirt with black pinstripes running vertically down it's entirety. Finishing the outfit, he put on a navy blue tie and his black loafers. Just as the clock hit five thirty, Sanji stepped out of his room and made his way towards Zeff's office, knowing the man would be awake long before anyone else. Once he arrived at the solid oak door, the chef took a deep breath, not sure how to broach the subject of time-travel, or if he should even do it. Shaking his head, Sanji immediately threw that thought away. _'He gave up his dreams and leg to save my life, I have to tell him the truth, plus that damn geezer would probably realize something was off anyways.'_

Just as Sanji raised his hand to knock, he jumped from a sudden yell. "Are you just going to stand out there, or are you going to come it?" Zeff prompted. "Damn eggplant."

"Shitty geezer!" Sanji rebuked, striding into the room and taking a seat in front of his adoptive father. "Don't just randomly shout!"

"Now what do you want, brat?" The owner demanded, looking over some bills. "I have paperwork to finish before the breakfast rush!"

"I need you to continue training me," the chef blurted out.

Looking up from the files, Zeff arched an eyebrow at his protege. "Why?" He asked simply, before narrowing his eyes. "And I swear I will kick you through the wall if you say anything about women."

"Something happened, and I found myself unable to help those I wanted to protect..." Sanji stated seriously.

"That's a really round about way of saying you want to impress girls," Zeff deadpanned.

"That's not it!" the blond insisted. "...at least not completely."

"Oh really?" The old man asked. "Tell me what happened, because I can't recall anything recently."

"Well, that's because it hasn't _technically_ happenedyet," Sanji admitted, avoiding eye contact.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Zeff questioned, now believing Sanji was pulling some kind of joke. "You getting visions of the future in your sleep, instead of women now?"

"Quit it old man, I'm serious!" The teen shouted in annoyance. "I died, met a beautiful mermaid god, and got sent back to the past!"

Zeff looked deep into his son's eyes, searching for any trace of untruth or mischief, but found none. After a tense silence, the retired pirate sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I believe you." He answered plainly.

Sanji sat stunned from the fact the man in front of him had trusted what he said so easily. "H-how? How can you believe me so quickly?"

"Well, that is what a parent is supposed to do," Zeff answered. "I have always trusted you, and I always will, silly eggplant. Why do think I passed my dream and abilities to you?"

"Stupid geezer..." The blond trailed off, holding back tears.

"Now what have I always taught you? Men don't cry." Zeff teased, a small grin on his face. "Now why don't you tell me your story..."

So he did, starting with how the Baratie was attacked. It took about an hour to finish the tale, with the older man's face becoming increasingly shocked as it went on. Once Sanji finally finished, Zeff closed his eyes for a moment, seeming deep in thought. "So why do you need me to train you?" He asked once Sanji finished. "It sounds like you were quite powerful and had mastered my fighting style."

"Well," Sanji began, rubbing the back of his head. "My body has reverted to the way it was, and I can't let that damn Mosshead get ahead of me."

"There is some sort of logic there, I suppose," Zeff answered while stroking his mustache. "Since that is the case, from here on you can only use your hands for cooking!"

"...What?" The teen asked in disbelief.

"It's just as I said, you can only use your hands for cooking, anything else such as opening doors, carrying items, whatever it is, you have to do it with your legs!" The head chef commanded, slamming his peg leg on the table. "Strength is good and all, but without finesse it is useless!"

Sanji bit back a retort, thinking about his friends. "Understood!" He nodded, then stood and opened the office door. "I have to go begin prepping the kitchen."

"One more thing," Zeff called, causing Sanji to turn and look at him. "We're going to be having a few new menu items, so could you show the other chefs how to prepare them?"

For a moment Sanji looked confused, before understanding spread through him, a grin splitting his face. "It would be my honor!" He nodded once more, then left closing the door behind him, a noticeable spring in his step.

Once his adoptive son had left, Zeff looked to the ceiling in gratitude. "I don't know why you sent him back, but thank you," He stated. "I don't care if you did it for your own reasons, but...thank you, Umi."

Once Sanji arrived at the kitchen, he began inspecting each station's ingredients, cleanliness, and equipment. When he was satisfied with their state, the sous chef put on his white apron and began preparing various items for the rush. Relishing in having a chance to simply cook after months of training and fighting, he chopped, seasoned, and marinated the food with practiced ease. As he finished his preparations, Sanji walked back to the living area below deck and began kicking each of the workers' doors while yelling for them to wake up.

"Hey, crap chef! Be quiet so I can get some sleep!" A burly man with a shaved head yelled from inside his room.

"Shut up and get out here, it's time to cook!" Sanji commanded, almost losing his cigarette.

"Dammit, fine! I'm coming, don't get your panties in a twist!" Patty retorted, rolling out of bed.

After rousing all the chefs, Sanji brought them into the kitchen, directing them to their stations.

"What's this all about?" Questioned one of the cooks, raising his hand. "We still have an hour before we open!"

"I woke you early because we will be adding some new items to the menu!" Sanji declared pridefully.

"Really?!" Another of the chefs asked in astonishment. "I don't remember that ever happening!"

"It does happen occasionally," An unshaven man wearing small, round sunglasses explained. "But it is always exciting!"

With that said, the assembled chefs began murmuring to each other about the new dishes.

"I wonder what they'll be?"

"Screw that! I wonder how they'll taste!"

"Who's recipe is it?"

"They might be min-"

"SILENCE!" Sanji roared over the excited chattering, making the men all turn back to the sous chef. "Now, there will be three recipes! First will be 'Glazed Prosciutto in Cleansing Greens', then we have 'Hormone Soup with Sea Pork' and finally, 'Energizing Coffee Creme Brulee'. Now come to the front and I will show you how to prepare the first item." As the chef's gathered around Sanji's station, he pulled out all his previously prepared ingredients so they all could see. "Now the-"

'Wham!'

Suddenly, a loud noise was heard in the dinning section of the restaurant causing everyone to turn and run towards it. Upon coming into the main area of the ship, Sanji and the chefs saw a tall, thin man sitting at the middle table with a few other people gathered behind him. The figure wore a thin, white shirt that opened down the middle, showing off the gold choker around his neck and his dark brown flesh which rippled with muscle. On his legs, he wore simple, beige harem pants with thin sandals that wrapped around his feet. His head and face were shaven, giving him an air of seriousness.

"Greetings, I am Anubis," The man stated, standing up allowing him to tower over the gathered chefs. "I would like to give you all an offer, one that I am quite sure you won't refuse."

"Yeah?" Sanji asked, exhaling a puff of smoke into the man's face. "Well unless you're here to eat something, I suggest you leave because we don't want whatever you're selling."

Anubis grinned at the response. "That is exactly why I'm here," The man raised his arms, his sleeves moving to reveal a tattoo of a jackal on his right bicep. "My organization needs 'fighting cooks' as you so aptly put it, and we are prepared to pay you quite handsomely for your services."

"Oh, and what would you have us do?" Patty questioned, a false smile on his face.

"Well, we would have pairs of you go with our different groups to cook," The dark skinned man explained. "And, if danger comes, you can help with the fighting, ergo 'fighting cooks'."

"If you want to go, I'm not going to stop you, but the rest I need back in the kitchen!" Sanji said, pivoting on his heel and walking away.

"Wait!" Anubis yelled, causing Sanji to turn and look at him. "You seem strong, come with me and I'll pay you ten times whatever you're getting now!"

"Really?" The blond asked.

"Of course, I'm a man of my word." The man insisted.

"There's only one man who could get me off this restaurant, and certainly isn't you," Sanji laughed.

"You're loss," Anubis stated, shrugging his shoulders. "Now everyone who would like to better themselves, come with me." The man then walked out and jumped onto his ship, leaving his subordinates to lead the cooks.

After they had left, only Patty, Carne, and four other chefs remained of the previous fifteen. Now extremely underhanded, they shuffled back to the kitchen where they retook their positions in front of Sanji.

"You're all that's left?" The teen asked in disappointment. "I thought for sure you would go, Patty."

"You dare insult me that way?!" The large man yelled, pointing a finger at Sanji. "I would never leave here! Owner Zeff gave us a place where we could be ourselves!"

"Yeah!" Carne and the rest of the chefs shouted in agreement.

Sanji smirked. "Well we're going to have to work triple time today, so you still better feel that way at the end!" He encouraged. "And one of you go get the geezer, we're gonna need everyone we have!"

"YEAH!" They yelled, just as customers began to storm into the front.

 **Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think, and on to the reviews!**

 **Melonyandjoshua0921: Thanks for the complement and I hope we can get all the way back to Wano!**

 **Bloody Rouge dragon deity king: Glad you're liking the chapters!**

 **Zyriarch: Happy you think mine is a good one!**

 **Buterflypuss: Thanks!**

 **Lazymanjones96: Great, I hope you like this one!**

 **PraetorXyn: You make a good point, and the 'brother' won't show up for a long time. As for Zoro, not many people would know about this specific part of his ancestry, so I think even if we get a big reveal in Wano, it should be fine. I look forward to your future comments!**

 **1995hzq: Thanks, I hope you liked the newer ones!**

 **Matt: Poor Usopp indeed, but love is a battlefield, right?**

 **Soledge1: We'll have to see what happens, who knows? What do you mean I do?**


	9. A New Challenger Approaches

**Welcome back to One Piece: Rebooted! I don't own One Piece, so enjoy!**

 _ **The Grand Line, Kyuka Island**_

Inside one of the many famous resorts, slept an even more infamous woman. Like most nights, she tossed and turned in her slumber, forced to endure haunting images of her past. Tonight is different, however, as her writhing stilled, memories of her friends soothing her mind and settling her body. After a few more moments, unfortunatedly, the thrashing returns, steadily increasing in ferocity.

"No!" Robin suddenly screamed, pulling herself from the nightmare. Taking deep breaths to calm her pounding heart, the ex-assassin looked around the room. Seeing the stylish surroundings she vaguely recalled where she was, the Western Cave Hotel. Satisfied that she was safe, at least for the moment, Robin stepped out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Upon looking into the mirror that hung over the sink, the archaeologist reeled in shock from seeing her mother's visage reflected in the looking glass. After a moment, she realized that it is not her mother at all, but instead her own face that was framed in the vanity. Grabbing her hair, Robin recalled dyeing it several times over the years to more effectively hide.

"What is wrong with me today?" Robin asked herself, shaking her head.

Turning on the faucet, she placed her hands under the flowing water, allowing it to pool in her fingers. After a small amount collected, she splashed it on her face in order to finish waking herself up. Moving back into the main room, Robin opened her small travel suitcase, pulling out a plain, black dress, black, knee-high boots, and a black cowboy hat to complete the outfit. After dressing herself, Robin grabbed the few miscellaneous items around the room, putting them back into her luggage. Finishing with a quick once over to make sure she didn't forget anything, the assassin headed downstairs to the check-out desk.

Upon making her way to the lobby, Robin marveled at the vaulted ceilings and ornate pillars that lined the hall. Noticing the reception desk, she made her way towards the area. Seeing the well-dressed young man that attended it, she reached into her pocket, pulled out her key, and placed it on the counter. Sliding it towards the man, she rested her arms on the lacquered mahogany waiting for him to assist her.

"I would like to check-out please," Robin asked.

"Did you enjoy your stay, Ms. Jaguar?" The front-end attendant asked politely, accepting her room key.

"Yes, it was quite revitalizing," Robin stated with a forced smile.

"I'm happy to hear that, I hope you visit with us again in the future," The man responded, replacing the key in it's cubbyhole.

"I sure hope not," the pirate muttered under her breath. Quickly, but not too quickly, Robin turned and exited out the front set of elaborate double doors. In her rush, however, the archaeologist accidentally ran into a man walking to close to the entrance. With a gasp, the two tumbled to the ground, causing Robin to lose her hat.

"Pardon me, miss," the man apologized, picking up her dropped accessory. "I should have been more careful."

"Thank you," Robin said, accepting the Stetson and replacing it on her head. "But I must be on my way."

"Wait!" The man called after her. "Don't I know you?"

Turing around, the archaeologist took a good look at the man. He had blonde, flowing hair, blue eyes, and a five o'clock shadow, even though it was barely eight in the morning. His skin was a golden bronze allowing every inch to showcase his muscled physique. To accentuate this, he wore a red crop topped jacket that opened down the middle, coupled with a pair of form fitting green jeans, and plain olive loafers.

"No," Robin denied, suddenly tasting something strange. "I can't say I have."

"Oh, that's too bad," the man sighed, turning away. Emblazoned on the back of his blazer was a black ram with an orange disk hovering between its antlers. "See you around." He waved goodbye with a flick of his wrist.

"R-right," the ex-assassin stuttered, before beginning to almost jog away. _'What is he doing here?!'_ She thought to herself in confusion and alarm.

Once she was out of sight, Robin began a headlong run, without thinking of a destination. After several minutes of panicked sprinting, the pirate found herself in the middle of the bustling tourist trap. Dozens of people milled around her chatting in excitement, walking in and out of the various shops, and eyeing the few street vendors hawking their wares. Now lost, she walked up to one of the currently unoccupied stalls to ask for directions.

"Hello there young lady!" The portly gentleman greeted, smiling widely. "What can I interest you in today? Perhaps some genuine Cain Wood? It's said to protect its keeper!" The man stated energetically, holding up a piece of black wood.

"No, thank you, I just need directions to the port," Robin declined politely.

The man's expression soured instantly. "Damn window shoppers! What do you think this is, an information booth?!" He snarled, replacing the wood block roughly.

Taken aback by his sudden shift in attitude, the archaeologist blinked in shock. "I apologize but-"

"No buts!" Th merchant interrupted rudely. "Buy something or leave!"

"Fine!" Robin caved, afraid to make a scene. "How much is the wood?!"

"Just 20,000 beris," the vendor stated, once more switching personality.

Begrudgingly, Robin reached into her suitcase and pulled out a wad of 10,000 beri notes. Counting out two, the archaeologist placed the bills into the waiting merchants hand. She then grabbed the block of wood and replaced it, as well as the rest of her money, back in the luggage.

"Damn, I could've asked for way more..." the crook muttered to himself.

"What was that?!" Robin questioned angrily.

"Nothing!" the man yelped, waving his hands.

"Better be, now are you going to give me directions or not?!" The assassin demanded with a huff.

"Of course, anything for a customer," the vendor assured, ignoring Robin's irate face. "Now why did you want to go the port? Did you have a destination in mind or did you just want to leave as quickly as possible?"

"To leave as quickly as possible!" Robin said abruptly, remembering the figure she had seen earlier.

"I thought as much..." The merchant nodded, pointing further down the road. "In that case, you don't want the docks, you want the sea train."

"Sea train?!" Robin questioned in surprise. "You have one on this island?"

"Yes, the station was just recently finished, as a matter of fact," the man explained. "I'm not surprised that a _tourist_ such as yourself didn't know."

After getting directions and thanking the man, even though he had swindled her, Robin set off toward the train depot. Now knowing that she would be reunited with a member of her crew much sooner than she was expecting, the archaeologist spent a little bit of time enjoying the sights and sounds the island had to offer. Eventually, however, she made her way into the station and purchased a one-way ticket to Water Seven. Upon entering the locomotive, the assassin found an empty cabin and sat down while reaching into her suitcase. Pulling out a blanket, she wrapped it around herself and tilted her cowboy hat down to cover her eyes, making her as inconspicuous as possible. As she waited for the train to leave, Robin thought back to the last time she had rode on a sea train, frowning at the painful memories at first. After a while though, she began to smile, remembering how her crew had denounced the most powerful force in the world, _for her_. She had finally found her place in the world and she was never going to leave it again.

Suddenly, the door to the compartment was thrown open before being closed just as quickly. To ensure it wasn't an enemy, Robin sprouted two eyes on the ceiling of the room to survey the newcomer. To her dismay, she recognized the muscled figure from earlier. As he moved to sit down, the man tripped over his feet sending him falling into the booth. Stifling a chuckle through her fear, Robin continued to watch the figure, hoping it was simply a coincidence that he had entered her carriage.

After settling himself after his undignified entrance, the man gained a serious face, looking directly at the archaeologist. "Hello, Nico Robin."

 **One Piece: Rebooted will be on break next week**

…

 **Naw, it will be out whenever I have the chance, thanks for reading!**

 **P.S. Don't forget to tell me what you think!**


	10. Mistakes Are Never Forgotten

**Hey Guys, I'm finally back with a new chapter! We have actually hit 100 follows! I honestly didn't think you guys would like this that much but, woo-hoo! Anyways, you probably don't care about that, so enjoy! And I don't own One Piece!**

 _ **The Grand Line, Water Seven**_

"Big Bro! We have a job to finish!" A deep voice insisted.

"Ugh, what did I drink last night?" Franky wondered, sitting up from his bed.

As he tried to get out of his cot, the cyborg over stepped, causing him to hit his head on the floor. "Dammit, why the hell do my legs feel so short-" Suddenly recollecting what happened, Franky clutched his head as memories rushed back to him. Instantly a black, spiky haired man wearing the traditional Franky Family outfit, plus stockings, rushed to Franky's side and helped him stand.

"Zambai?!" The shipwright questioned, recognizing him.

"Yeah, Bro! We have that contract from Iceburg to dismantle a ship, so we need to go!" Zambai explained, dusting his savior off.

"Alright! We'll do a SUPER good job!" Franky yelled enthusiastically.

"Of course, we won't let you down!" The scrapper assured. "I'll go round up the rest of the boys, then we'll go." Zambai turned and left the room quickly, making sure to close the door behind him.

Looking down at his much smaller body, Franky sighed. _'It will take so long to rebuild myself, but I have to make sure I look good if I'm going into town. I have to make sure everyone appreciates the manliness of this body!'_

With that thought, he went towards the showers to wash up. After cleaning himself, Franky put on his blue speed-o with a light blue star in the middle along with his red Hawaiian shirt that had yellow palm trees dotted around it, leaving it open to expose his chest, and, to finish his classic outfit, he put on a thick gold chain around his neck.

"Ah, now this takes me back!" Franky exclaimed, slicking his pompadour forward. "Now to go warn Iceburg..."

Leaving his room, Franky stalled outside the door, taking in the view that greeted him. Seeing all his underlings gathered in the main room eating, drinking, and gambling, brought a massive grin to his face. Eyeing the walls made from mismatched materials, the floor littered with weapons, and the several scuffles that broke out, caused the cyborg to realize how much his life had changed, from being a underground crime boss, to a pirate shipwright. Placing his large hands on the banister that wound around the upper level, Franky inhaled deeply. "Get ready, shitheads! We have a job to do!" He roared down to the crowd, leaning over the railing to do so.

Startled from the sudden sound, the members of the Franky Family began rushing around, collecting weapons and tools in preparation for the job, all the while causing a huge mess by knocking over various pieces of furniture. Watching the display, Franky simply shook his head at their antics and started down the uneven staircase. Weaving through the chaos, the cyborg made his way towards the front doors, pausing when he passed by Kiwi and Mozu.

"I have to go finish some things with Iceburg, so will you make sure they," he pointed back towards the scrambling men. "Don't make too much of a ruckus on the way to the shipyard?"

"You can count on us, Big Bro!" Kiwi exclaimed, turning towards the mass of bodies. "Hey morons, mellow out before you embarrass Bro!"

Knowing they were in good hands, Franky proceeded to make his way towards the main thoroughfare of Water Seven. Hopping on one of the Family's smaller Yagara Bulls, the shipwright soaked in the watery sights of the city. Remembering when it had been a dying port town, Franky smiled once more at how both he, and the city, had changed for the better. Finally arriving at the mayor's office, the crime boss parked his steed out front, and walked into the lobby. Upon seeing the woman sitting behind the counter, Franky curled his hands into fists, causing the slight sound of grinding metal to echo around the elegantly decorated room. She had blonde hair curled into a neat bun, thin glasses resting on her nose, and a stoic face, as if nothing would faze her. She wore a yellow peacoat, over a short black dress and black, high-heeled boots that accentuated her legs.

"I'm here to see Iceburg," Franky ground out, slamming a paper onto the marble tabletop.

The blonde haired woman readjusted her glasses before picking up the memo and quickly scanning it. "It seems everything has already been processed, there is no need for you to bother the mayor, he is very busy and doesn't have time to waste," Kalifa denied, sliding the form back towards him.

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Franky yelled. "He is always wasting time! Tell him that Franky is here, and I'm sure he will see me."

"And why would that be?" Kalifa asked with a calculating flash of her glasses.

"Anytime he needs stuff scrapped, he hires me and my boys, so we've had a long relationship," the cyborg explained. "Wait, shouldn't you already know this, and why am I even telling you? Just go get Ice-for-brains!" He demanded once more.

"I still see no reason to bother the mayor, I apologize, but I must ask you to leave," the undercover agent refused again.

"I swear, if you weren't a woman, I'd have pounded you into the floor by now," Franky growled.

"That's sexual harassment," Kalifa stated flatly. "Now if you don't leave, I'll be forced to notify the Dock One foremen."

"For god's sake-"

With a bang, the door behind the assassin burst open, allowing a man with slicked back, blue hair to step out while rubbing his eyes. After quickly adjusting his orange and yellow striped, two piece suit, the man stared with a bored expression at the two arguing figures.

"What the hell is going on out here?!" Iceburg inquired, an obvious line of drool trailing down the side of his mouth. "I was trying to take a nap!"

"I'm sorry sir, this hooligan has been demanding to speak with you, but I know how precious your time is, so I asked him to leave, yet he refused to comply," the secretary recounted, bowing in shame. "I apologize for my failure."

"Precious?! He just said he was taking a nap!" Franky exclaimed incredulously.

"It's fine, next time someone insists on seeing me, I'll come speak with them," the shipwright dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Just make sure that little Tyrannosaurus here," he pointed to the small, blue lizard poking it's head out of his breast pocket. "Gets a good lunch of crickets."

"It will be done, sir," Kalifa affirmed, immediately exiting the building to go find a pet store.

With the government agent gone, Franky finally let loose a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Picking up the now slightly crumpled paper from the counter, the cyborg waved it at Iceburg. "I have some...issues with the contract for the scrap." He said, eyes moving side to side.

Nodding in understanding, the mayor gestured towards his office before walking into it and sitting behind his surprisingly unsophisticated desk. Following him into the room, Franky looked around, having only seen it once before. Lining the walls in neat rows were various plaques, depicting various awards Iceburg had been given for his deeds helping the city. Several pictures of the man and his workers were also dotted around the room, placed so you could see them from almost any angle.

"Even though you are a supposed 'crime lord', you never did learn to be very discreet," Iceburg drawled, pointing to the seat across from him. "Now what is so important that you, personally, had to come here?"

"One second," Franky said, holding up a finger in the mayor's direction. Grabbing his right forearm, the cyborg pulled up, revealing a small compartment inside. Pulling out six small, metal squares that had tiny suction cups on the back, along with one red and one green button on the front. Pressing the green button on each of the items, Franky placed a device on each wall, the ceiling, and the floor. Once he was finished a slight tremor ran through the room, making the pictures and plaques rattle. That completed, the pirate sat down in front of Iceburg. "Okay, _now_ we should be good to go."

"What are those?" The mayor asked, eyeing the items with interest.

"Oh, these are Interference Cubes," Franky explained. "I got them just recently from one of Joker's dealers. Apparently, it makes eavesdropping impossible, at least using normal methods."

"Really? Then I guess you did learn a couple things, my mistake. Anyways, what is so important that we would even need these items in the first place?" Iceburg questioned, once more bearing a bored expression.

"You are in danger, the government wants the blueprints for themselves, and they will stop at nothing to get them!" the pirate explained, his mouth set into a scowl.

"I know, I'm the one that told _you_ , remember?" The blue haired man stated, raising an eyebrow at Franky. "If that's all-"

"No! You don't understand, that _woman_ ," Franky spat, pointing behind him. "Is a government assassin! If you don't give them the plans willingly, they are gonna kill you!"

"And you would know this...how, exactly?" Iceburg questioned disbelievingly. "Kalifa is a bit serious about her job, but she has been my assistant for two years. I find it very hard to believe she is an assassin, and have you seen those legs? Those aren't assassin legs."

"What are you spouting right now? This is serious!" Franky demanded, slamming a fist on the desk. "As for how I know, that's not important, I just do!"

"What did you do? That's the face you make when you did something crazy!"

"What are you talking about? No it isn't!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Uh-uh!"

"Is to!"

"Is not!"

"Dammit Franky! Just tell me what happened!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?!"

"Because you won't believe me!" Franky finally yelled.

"I know we've had our differences over the years, but we're still friends," Iceburg stated, while spreading his hands in a placating motion. "I promise I'll believe you."

"You will?" the time-traveler questioned hesitantly.

"Of course," the shipwright said flatly.

"You don't fill me with confidence," Franky sweat dropped. "Well here goes, I am...from...the future?" He half asked.

For a moment Iceburg simply stared at Franky with a blank expression, until he finally spoke. "So, are you going to tell me...or?"

"What do you mean?! I just did!" The crime boss exclaimed in confusion.

"Well, I had assumed you had actually learned from what happened with Master Tom, but it seems I was wrong," Iceburg stated coldly, narrowing his eyes. "You want to put the entire world at risk, simply to play an elaborate joke?! Give me back the plans, clearly it was a mistake entrusting them to _you_."

"This isn't a joke!" Franky yelled. "If you really don't believe me, tell Kalifa my real name is Cutty Flam!"

"No, that would be stupid, give me back the blueprints and leave," the man stated sharply. "Don't ever contact me again."

"Fine! If you don't want to believe me, whatever!" the cyborg yelled, opening up his chest cavity and ripping out the plans. "But I'll be damned if I allow the World Government to get their hands on these!" He then sucked in a deep breath while puckering his lips.

"NO!" Iceburg yelled, leaning over to grab the papers from Franky's extended hand.

"Fresh-"

"Air Door."

 **Sorry, not sorry about the cliffhanger! Now a quick little note about the 'Interference Cubes', it has always bothered me that Franky was a member of the Underworld, albeit slightly, and is never really showed using that experience, so expect more of that in the future. Also, since Vegapunk apparently found out a way to copy a component of Kizaru's Glint-Glint fruit, I thought it would be cool if Doflamingo made Caesar copy an ability of Rosinante's Calm-Calm fruit. I know it's implied that they didn't know he had a Devil Fruit, but I feel like that would be pretty much impossible to hide for long. It definitely wasn't an excuse to have Franky and Iceburg yell at each other without it being stupid. Definitely. Anyways, thanks for reading, and, like always, tell me what you thought!**


	11. Aberrations

**Alright guys, I'm finally back with a new chapter of One Piece Rebooted! Enjoy! And I don't own One Piece!**

 **Review responses at the bottom since it has been awhile**

 _ **The Grand Line, Drum Island**_

With a gasp, a small, bipedal reindeer sat up from bed, shivering uncontrollably. Wrapping the woolen blanket that covered him around his shoulders, Chopper got up and walked to the round window across from his cot. Looking out, he saw the distinct columns of Drum Island rising out of the ground and sighed, knowing he was back.

"Is this what cold feels like?" Chopper wondered to himself as he continued to shake from the supernatural chill in his bones. "Now I see why everyone wants to steal my fur!"

Turning away from the window, the doctor double checked his surroundings, recognizing the curved walls of Doctor Kureha's old tree house. Walking over to the bookshelves that lined the walls, Chopper ran his hooves over their spines, remembering the multitude of lessons Doctor Kureha had taught him over the years.

 _ **Flashback**_

Doctor Kureha stood behind Chopper, who was taking notes from a book. Pointing to a spot on the page, she corrected the young reindeer. "It would only be 2.5mL of Morphine, instead of 5mL because the child is under six years of age."

"Ah, you're right, I'm sorry, Doctor!" Chopper sputtered, realizing his mistake.

"It's fine, but you must _always_ remember that when you take on a patient, they are putting their life in _your_ hands. Therefore, you must _always_ double check your prescriptions," Kureha kindly reprimanded.

 _ **Flashback End**_

With a nostalgic smile, the doctor fondly patted the books one more time, then walked over to the opposite wall where a chemistry set was neatly stored on a simple stone desk. Jumping onto the chair that was placed in front of the table, Chopper began pulling several different components out of the cabinets that surrounded the station, varying from powders and liquids, to entire plants. First, the doctor took the blue, green, and clear liquids, setting them on a trio of stands. Connecting the vials together with tubes, the young reindeer placed several Bunsen Burners beneath the liquids. Watching as the ingredients slowly vaporized, before combining in their gaseous state, Chopper swiftly turned off the fire, allowing the chemicals to condensate into a new, orange substance.

That completed, the doctor turned to the potted plant he had set aside, and grabbed the base of the stem before proceeding to rip the organism from the soil it sat in. Placing the dirty brown, vaguely human shaped root on the table, Chopper grabbed a knife and chopped the flora into several small pieces, disposed of the leafy top, and dropped the remaining parts into a mortar. Picking up the corresponding pestle, the pirate began grinding the plant down, switching to his Heavy Point in order to do so. Once the ingredient was turned into a brown dust, he combined it with a white paste and a light yellow powder, creating a new, dark yellow mixture. Chopper then stirred the concoction into the orange liquid, causing it to turn a dull yellow.

Eventually, the combination dried into a paste which the doctor pressed into a series of round molds. Finally, he briefly heated the set of die to finish hardening the medicine. Opening the casts, Chopper was greeted with ten, perfectly formed Rumble Balls which the pirate stored in a pill case and pocketed. Done making his drug, the reindeer replaced the remaining ingredients and returned his laboratory to its tidy state.

"Ah, now let's see if what Umi said is true," Chopper stated to himself, willing his body to transform into Kung Fu Point. Immediately, the reindeer registered the familiar feeling of having his body and head become much larger than his limbs. With the change complete, Chopper began checking his form to make sure everything was in the correct place. Finding nothing out of order, the doctor began cycling through his transformations to ensure that he could still use all of them. Once his inspection was complete, the reindeer returned to his Brain Point with a happy sigh. "Thanks Umi! It would have been such a pain if I had to recondition my body!"

"Who are you talking to up here?"

"WHA?!" Chopper screamed from the sudden question, transforming into his Kung Fu Point reflexively. Seeing Doctor Kureha framed in the doorway, the reindeer relaxed. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I didn't, you were just so engrossed in what you were doing, that you didn't notice me," Kureha laughed. "But it seems you have been hiding-"

"Dwoctorine!" Chopper suddenly yelled, tears and snot beginning to flow down his face. "I missed you so much!" The reindeer cried, giving her a hug, after overcoming his surprise.

"What's got into you, you crazy reindeer?!" Kureha exclaimed, although she made no move to break the embrace.

"Sorwy, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" Chopper explained, releasing the doctor.

"You see me everyday! What's actually going on?" The woman asked suspiciously. "Are you going to ask for a new suturing set?"

"No! I...just wanted to hug you..." The pirate grinned, rubbing his eyes. "I'm going to ready the sleigh!"

As Chopper ran past her, Kureha gave the small reindeer a genuine smile, not her usual smirk. For a moment the doctor stood there, frozen, thinking back to a certain crook, before shaking her head. "When did I become so damn sentimental?" She wondered, following her protégée down the stairs.

As Chopper burst out of the front door, vibrating in excitement, the doctor halted in shock from the sight that greeted him. In perfect formation, despite the thick snow that covered the ground like a blanket, a battalion of Drum soldiers in navy blue winter coats trimmed with white, wielding a variety of muskets, swords, and axes stood ominously in front of the tree house. At the head of the group, a burly man with a triangle goatee, close-cropped, black hair, and a stony face sat atop his pale gray horse. He wore metal armor underneath a moss green cloak and had a large, oval shaped axe, which looked more like an oversized utensil than a weapon, strapped to his back. Reaching into his clothes, the figure produced a scroll, which he unfurled and began reading aloud from. "By proclamation of the great ruler of Drum kingdom-"

The soldiers stifled chuckles at that declaration, forcing the leader to powerfully throw his arm out, silencing them. As if nothing had happened, the man continued with his announcement right from where he was interrupted. "Doctor Kureha, and any accomplices of the aforementioned, are to be arrested and placed on trial for violating the laws of our peaceful nation." Dalton finished, returning the parchment inside his coat, before dismounting his steed. "Go get her, or I will have no other choice but to use force."

"Dalton?!" Chopper exclaimed, his hooves waving frantically. "Why are trying to arrest Doctorine?!"

"She goes against the crown, so she must be punished," Dalton stated evenly, his eyes shadowed. "As long as you don't try to help her, I can let you go once more."

"What's taking you so long?!" Kureha exclaimed, kicking open the door. "We have patients to save and extort!"

"Doctorine! You have to run, they're going to arrest you!" Chopper yelled, morphing into his Heavy Point.

Dalton sighed. "Now I have to arrest you both." He said, unsheathing his axe. After a moment, the man began to grow, his skin darkened, horns sprouted from his temples, hooves replaced his feet, and his nose elongated into a snout. With a guttural roar,

Dalton finished his transformation and stampeded towards Chopper, pulling his arms back for a powerful attack.

"Heeheehee," Kureha cackled, taking a swig of her plum sake. "You think these brats could arrest me? Please."

"I'll handle the monster, the rest of you capture the witch!" Dalton commanded his squad, heaving his axe in a baseball swing at the reindeer.

"I might not have been able to defeat you before," Chopper stated, simply shrinking into his Brain Point to dodge. "But now is entirely different!" He proclaimed confidently, regrowing into his Arm Point, limbs cocked back. "Cloven Diamond!" Chopper exclaimed, ramming his hooves into Dalton's side, causing the bull-man to fall unconscious with a diamond-shaped indent in his torso and armor.

Turning in a panic, expecting Kureha to be in trouble from the soldiers, the reindeer had his eyes bug out when he was greeted by the sight of twenty groaning men and a yawning Kureha. The soldiers lay scattered all across the ground, impaled with syringes and scalpels causing blood to stain the pure snow, although none seemed in danger of dying.

"What, how?!" Chopper demanded, pointing at Doctorine. "It has only been a couple seconds!"

"Heeheehee!" Kureha laughed again. "Maybe I'll teach you sometime, but for now, bring the patients inside!" Ignoring further questioning, the woman turned and re-entered her house.

Switching to his Heavy Point, Chopper began grabbing the injured people and carried them inside, four at a time. Once he was done with the normal soldiers, the reindeer heaved Dalton onto his shoulder, grabbed his fallen axe, opened the front door, and started up the stairs.

"Hey, where are you taking him?" Doctorine questioned, looking up from where she was treating one of the men.

"I'll tend to this man, since I was the one that injured him," the pirate declared, continuing up the stairs.

"Wait!" Kureha called. "You aren't ready to handle a patient on your own!"

Ignoring the outburst, Chopper finished the climb, laying Dalton down on his cot. The reindeer then ripped the man's coat open revealing that the wound was covered by dented armor. Growling in annoyance at the inconvenience, the doctor proceeded to easily tear the breastplate off the warrior, as if it was wet paper. Tossing the ruined equipment to the side, Chopper began to inspect the wound, using his hooves to feel the injured torso.

"Damn, I hit him too hard!" Chopper muttered in alarm. "He's bleeding internally!"

Quickly, the doctor grabbed some antiseptic, a scalpel, a pair of forceps, and a suturing kit from his medical bag that laid at the foot of his bed. Shrinking to his Brain Point, the reindeer hopped up onto the bed, so he would have easier access to the wound. Pouring a large amount of disinfectant over the surgical site, Chopper thoroughly cleaned the area, before readying his scalpel. Steadily, the pirate cut an incision where the flesh was slowly turning purple. Using the forceps to pull open the cut and hold it open, Chopper began cautiously searching for the source of the damage. When he found the bleeding artery, the reindeer snatched his suturing kit, and, with practiced ease, stopped the bleeding. The most dangerous part completed, Chopper sighed in relief, glad he didn't have to worry about sweat like humans. Removing the forceps, the doctor then closed the outer wound as well, before wrapping Dalton's chest in bandages to help prevent infection.

As the reindeer moved to clean his tools, he jumped from sudden clapping coming from the direction of the door. Whirling in surprise, Chopper was greeted with a sarcastically applauding Doctor Kureha.

"Would you like to tell me who you are?" Kureha asked, taking a swig of her sake.

Chopper looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean, it's me, Tony Tony Chopper."

"Sure, only you just expertly performed a surgery, _after_ defeating one of the King's best fighters effortlessly," the doctor pointed out. "So, I'll ask again, who are you, and how are you copying my son's abilities?"

"Giving me compliments won't make me happy, you bastard~!" Chopper squealed, as he wiggled gleefully, ignoring the second half of her question.

"You even have his quirks down..." Kureha sweat dropped at the reindeer's reaction.

"Well, I guess I should just tell you, although I don't know if you will believe me," the doctor stated, finally realizing the situation.

"This outta be good," the 'young' woman sighed.

"Uh, how do I say this?" Chopper mumbled. "Have you ever heard of the idea of time travel?"

"Of course, tons of stories use that trope," Kureha said, waving her hand dismissively. "Wait, you're not-"

"Yes I am," the reindeer interjected.

For a moment that stretched into minutes, the doctor stared at Chopper, seemingly deep in thought. Finally, Kureha moved, breaking eye contact. "How?"

Unnerved by her sudden seriousness, the young reindeer shuffled in place, while rubbing his hooves together anxiously. "Uh, well, after becoming a pirate, and dying-"

"What?!" Kureha suddenly asked, enraged. "Who?!"

"Admiral Fujitora," Chopper stated simply.

"...Who?" The doctor questioned again, more confused than angry now. "The only Admirals are Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu."

" _Now,_ but in the future, there is a draft that adds two more, Fujitora and Ryokugyu," Chopper explained, enjoying being the teacher for once.

"Damn, so I can't go flay the bastard, anyway, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING FIGHTING AN ADMIRAL?!" Kureha screamed, her head almost seeming to expand.

"Uh, we were ambushed after overthrowing a Yonkou...?" The reindeer said hesitantly, leaning away in anticipation of Doctorine's outburst.

"WHAT KIND OF PIRATE CREW WERE YOU ON?!" The witch doctor yelled in astonishment.

"What is with all this yelling?!" Dalton suddenly exclaimed, sitting up, before grabbing at his wound. "Ugh, my side!"

"Lay back down, before I sedate you!" Chopper threatened, holding up a syringe. "You're going to pull your stitches, and I'll have to open you up again!"

Realizing where he was, Dalton looked towards his axe where it leaned against the wall, near the headboard, before lunging for it. "No, I have to take in the doctor!"

"Dammit! Why can no one ever rest until they are healed?!" The reindeer huffed in annoyance, morphing into his Kung Fu Point. Chopping the soldier in the back of the neck to knock him back out, Chopper then grabbed Dalton and placed him back on the bed. Twisting the man's forearm, the pirate injected a sedative into his vein, insuring that the man would remain asleep. Turning back to his mentor, Chopper gestured towards the first floor.

"I will tell the whole story as we help the men downstairs," the reindeer declared, beginning to descend the staircase.

Surprised by the commanding tone of her usually hesitant protégée, Kureha followed him back downstairs without further protest. Returning to the man she was helping before, Doctorine finished stitching up his dangerous wounds, while simply bandaging the others. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her student doing the same and smirked pridefully at his technique. While he assisted with tending the soldiers, Chopper began his tale, starting when Kureha had brought in the injured forms of Luffy, Nami, and Sanji, so long ago. Resisting the urge to exclaim at every instance of danger to him, the doctor instead frowned or smiled, depending on the event. Eventually, Chopper finished his story, long after they had finished patching up the soldiers that attacked them.

"And now I am back here, with you," He gestured towards Doctorine. "That's also why I needed to hug you, for me it has been 3 years since I've seen you…" Chopper finished, tears threatening to spill once more.

After hearing about his adventures, Kureha tentatively wrapped her arms around the reindeer. Surprised by the unprecedented action, Chopper tensed _,_ unsure what Doctorine was going to do. After a moment, however, the young reindeer returned the hug, a peaceful smile overcoming his features. As the warmth from the embrace seeped into him, the chill that had bothered him all morning finally ebbed, allowing the preteen to fall asleep in Kureha's lap, while holding her arm.

"I really have gone soft," Kureha said to herself softly, to not wake Chopper. "But if everything he said is true, something doesn't add up…"

"Ahhhhhh," Chopper yawned, stretching.

"Have a nice, nap?" Kureha asked, looking up from the paper she was reading, exposing the headline 'Fleet Admiral Sengoku-'. "You've been out longer than some of the soldiers. And I better not see a speck of dirt on that counter!"

"Yes Ma'am!" One of the men yelped, jumping into a salute. "You'll be able to see your own reflection in this wood!"

Kureha huffed in response, turning back to Chopper. "Either way, I think you should read this." She said, passing the tabloid to him. "I think you'll be reminded of something, or rather, someone."

"What?" Chopper asked in disbelief, as he looked down at the page. "Who-no way!"

As the pirate read the largest advertisement under the entertainment section, he came across a familiar announcement. 'Bone to be Wild Grand Tour! Introducing the next up and coming musical sensation, Skull King Brook! Opening last week at Sabaody Archipelago for the metal sensation, Hard Rock Hathor, the Skull King was an instant hit. Attendees were quoted with it being an 'out of body experience' and 'supernatural'. Either way, this macabre musician has moved the souls of everyone who has listened to him, so be sure to get your tickets now!' Below the ad were a series of islands and venues, where Brook was scheduled to perform.

"Water Seven, Alabasta...Drum Island?!" Chopper read aloud, increasing in volume with each entry he found. "There's a couple in between, but he's retracing our steps! How did you come across this?"

"I like to keep up with what new acts are coming through," Kureha shrugged. "It gets boring here."

'Thump'

'Thump'

'Thump'

'BANG'

"What the-" Kureha exclaimed, jumping out of her armchair at the sudden sounds.

Hopping over the rest of the recovering soldiers that covered the floor like discarded wrappers, Chopper ran toward the stairs where the noises originated. Skidding to a halt, the doctor was concerned to see Dalton forcing himself to his feet, using his axe as a crutch. As the man stood wobbling, the pirate could barely hear indiscernible sounds coming from his mouth. The moment that Kureha arrived in sight of the guard, however, Dalton used his remaining strength to attack the doctor. Easily sidestepping the slash, Kureha rushed forward to catch the man before he fell to the ground and injured himself further.

"Why do you keep attacking us even though we're trying to help you?!" Chopper demanded. "I know you are a good man, you wouldn't do this!"

"Have...to...protect...childr…" Dalton muttered, his mumblings finally forming words before he fell unconscious once more.

"What?! Did you just say children?!" Chopper shouted, his usually cute features twisted in rage. Morphing into his Heavy Point, the reindeer turned to one of the soldiers that were cleaning the room, causing the man to flinch in fear. "Is the king holding children hostage?!"

The man, in his terror, simply stared at Chopper wide eyed. Grabbing the soldier by his collar, the doctor lifted the man off the ground making their faces millimeters apart.

"Answer me," the hulking reindeer demanded through gritted teeth.

"I-I don't know! The captain never said why he started listening to the king again!" The man stuttered. "There were rumors that he was threatened with something, but I don't know anything for sure!"

"That's enough evidence for me," Chopper stated, allowing the soldier to drop to the floor, where he scurried away into a corner. "I'm kicking that bastard out of this country!"

Without another word, Chopper headed out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"What did he mean by that?!" Another of the soldiers exclaimed. "He doesn't think he can defeat a whole army by himself, does he?!"

"You're right! He doesn't think he can," Kureha laughed, easily lifting Dalton's massive frame onto her shoulder. "He knows it! Heeheehee!"

 **Again, I'm sorry about the wait guys, I've had major writer's block with this chapter because I really don't like Chopper that much.**

 **Don't stone me! Anyways I think it turned out really a lot better that I was expecting, and I hope next chapter doesn't take so long to finish!**

 **And, as always, thanks for reading and let me know what your thought are, I appreciate all of them!**

 **Praetor Xyn: I don't have high hopes either, but who knows? Also, I have only 2 OCs have made appearances so far, but can you guess who? Either way, I appreciated your critiques!**

 **Matt: I know it's been a month, but is the story Behind Bars by Dragon Ruler 06? Anyways, I do know that Iceberg had a pet mouse, but just read the title of this chapter to understand more, thanks! ;)**

 **buterflypuss: Thanks for the review, you're very consistent!**

 **bloody dragon fang: I love when a chapter causes reactions like that!**

 **Soledge1: Yeah, but not everyone is as smart as you, especially after coming back to life, haha!**

 **kmbrun: Thanks, I hope to give you plenty more in the future!**

 **Emrys Akayuki: Because she's actually a traitor for Kaido! Crazy theories aside, I'm not so sold on her joining the actual crew, I could see her as part of the grand fleet, but who knows? I do like her character so maybe I'll shoe horn some things down the line? Stay tuned to find out, thanks!**

 **Bloody Rogue dragon deity king: I think we will be getting more information next chapter, so look forward to it, and thanks for reviewing!**


	12. Favors and Reunions

**Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter of One Piece Rebooted, enjoy!**

 **I don't own One Piece, just the OCs, who I hope you don't hate!**

 _ **The Grand Line, Water Seven: Robin's Side**_

"So, do we have an accord?" The blonde asked, flashing a devilish smile.

"I don't really have much of a choice, do I, _Amun-Ra_?" Robin responded sarcastically.

"Well, yes, you do," He stated, still smiling. "You can either help me and I'll help you, _or_ I can kill you. And please, call me Ra."

"In that case, I'll take option C, _Ra_ ," the assassin declared confidently, although she was still unnerved by his grin after all these years. It reminded her of Luffy, but in all the wrong ways. "Where I kill you, and go about my business like I have for the past 20 years!"

Unseen by the man, she had crossed her arms underneath the blanket that covered her. "Diez fleur!" At her yell, all four of the man's limbs were pinned by eight arms that sprouted from the booth he sat in. With his appendages restrained, a final pair of limbs blossomed by his neck and grabbed his head at the temples. "Clutch!" With a brutal twist, Robin's extra arms wrenched his head to the right, until it was turned completely backward.

' _Hmm? No snap?'_ Robin thought.

"Now that wasn't very friendly," Ra said, as his head dissipated into nothing, before reforming back in its original position. "Last chance, all I'm asking is for you to fulfill your role as an archaeologist, and translate some text for me. Plus, I'll help you out in the future with anything you want, no matter what it is. To quote a famous author, 'I always pay my debts'."

' _Damn Logias,'_ the archaeologist thought to herself. "I'll do it, so long as the text doesn't pertain to the Ancient Weapons. I won't let you destroy the world, even if you do kill me." She declared, crossing her arms in defiance. ' _I already tried that out once anyways.'_

"Jeez, so stingy," the man chuckled, cracking his neck. "First you attack me, now you won't even help me take over the world? Jokes aside, I don't need you for that, just this one, itsy-bitsy task, and I'll never bother you again."

"Fine, we have a deal," Robin relented, removing the blanket that covered her. "Although I have to meet with an old friend first, so how are you going to contact me?"

"I'll bring the artifact to you personally, so don't worry your pretty little head about it," Ra explained vaguely.

"What do-"

Suddenly the sea train shuddered as if it had hit something, just before it began to decelerate rapidly. Through the window, Robin thought she saw a giant frog fall into the water, but the train was still moving too fast to be sure.

"All passengers disembarking at Water Seven, please collect your carry-ons and be prepared to exit out the port side. Thank you for riding the Puffing Tom and have a great day!"

Quickly replacing the few items she had removed from her luggage, Robin stood and exited the cabin. As she headed in the direction of the boarding area, Robin realized that Ra was following behind her, arms resting on the back of his head. Ignoring the man, the ex-assassin easily slipped her way through the crowded aisle, using her Devil Fruit powers to stealthily navigate the swarm of people. Just as the doors opened, Robin skipped down the steps and began walking purposefully towards her destination, Franky House.

"Hey, wait up!" Ra called, trotting after her. "Do you really hate me that much?"

Turning her head, Robin glared at the man. "I already agreed to your terms, what else do you want?"

"Nothing, it just wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to _not_ see you to your destination," the man explained, as if it was obvious.

"Oh, and threatening to kill me was _so_ chivalrous," Robin scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I already know someone with that mentality, and I most assuredly don't need another."

"Hey, when you're cutthroats like us, that's just standard operating procedure, and, if I remember correctly, the only one who acted on their threat was _you,"_ he pointed out, still following along beside her.

Cringing at the mention of cutthroats, Robin turned away and continued toward Scrap Island. "Do what you want, I don't care."

Without a response, Ra also continued on, but left a sizable gap between the two. Suddenly, a loud boom sounded off to their left, causing the duo to turn and look towards the city. Moments after the sound, a building partially collapsed causing an even greater noise.

"What are they doing, construction?" Robin wondered, crinkling her brow.

"No, several people are fighting in the streets for some reason," Ra explained, yawning. "And they're no pushovers."

"Really, how do you know?" The archaeologist asked, although she already had an idea.

"Let's just call it man's intuition," he smirked, pointing to his head.

' _He even had Haki? No wonder he seemed so powerful back then,'_ Robin deduced, thinking back.

 _ **Flashback**_

Robin ran with all her might, trying to throw off her pursuers, but she knew that this time there was no escaping. She had fucked up big time, she _knew_ it had been too long, but she was sick of running, of killing, of lying to everyone she met, even herself. The archaeologist had been staying in a rural fall island, and gotten just a little too comfortable. She had even begun to befriend some of the people down in the village, but apparently one of them had recognized her for who she really was. They had contacted the Marines, and they, in turn, had sent out a Vice Admiral to collect her. The government was a little sore from how long the assassin had evaded them, and decided to finally capture her once and for all.

"Surrender, or we will have no choice but to use lethal force!" One of the many Marine grunts threatened, aiming his rifle at her.

"Dos Fleur!" Robin yelled, crossing her arms. Immediately, a pair of limbs sprouted from the shoulders of each low level Marine. "Clu-"

"Steel Reflection!"

Suddenly, Robin felt all her arms being slashed, causing them to dissipate into flower petals. Grabbing her real limbs in pain from the deep cuts that now marred them, the archaeologist looked about frantically, wondering who had attacked her.

"Vice Admiral Stainless!" The underlings yelled in shock. "You saved us!"

Appearing as if from nowhere, a Marine sheathed his blade with a resounding click. Straightening, the man was revealed to have slicked back, dark hair, a well groomed, pointed mustache, and a bulky frame, as if he had been roughly hewn from rock. He wore a simple, plum colored two-piece suit with a dull yellow dress shirt, a lavender tie, a Marine captain's cloak, and simple black loafers on his feet.

"You can't win, surrender and I promise that no harm will come to you until your trail. Resist and, well, your poster doesn't say 'alive only'," the Marine warned. "Make any sudden moves and I will take it as a denial of my offer."

' _I always figured I would get caught some day, but…'_ Unable to finish her thought, Robin simply slowly raised her hands above her head, causing blood to flow steadily down her arms. Gritting her teeth, the assassin bowed her head in resignation, knowing she couldn't defeat a Vice Admiral. As she stared at the gravel in front of her, Robin could hear Stainless' footsteps thumping, the click of unlocking handcuffs, and thought back to when she watched O'Hara be destroyed. Even if she didn't deserve to live, she would choose how she died! Whipping her head upwards with new resolve, Robin's glare was met with the Marines in front of her, including Stainless, clutching at their throats in complete silence, before collapsing to their sides, unconscious.

"What, how, who?!" The archaeologist wondered, looking around for the assailant.

"That," a masculine voice sounded from behind her. "Would be little ol' me."

Startled, Robin whirled to face the voice's owner. "Who are you?"

"My name is Amun-Ra, but please, call me Ra," the man stated, sweeping his hand to the side. "I've been looking forward to meeting you, Nico Robin."

 _ **Flashback End**_

With that new found information filed away, Robin crossed her arms. "Ojos Fleur!" She announced, closing her eyes. Growing a large amount of orbs where the fight was happening, Robin tried to figure out who the combatants were, hoping against hope she was wrong. ' _He couldn't have, right?'_

Down a dark alleyway, Robin caught a glimpse of gold glinting in the gloom and sprouted several more eyes to confirm her suspicion. Upon their growth, the archaeologist was greeted with a complete view of Franky in all his perverse glory. Upon seeing the outrageous form, Robin smiled, relieved to be back with one of her crew mates. After a moment, however, her fears were realized when she noticed the panicked look on the cyborg's face, along with the weeping cuts that crisscrossed his body. ' _Shit.'_

"Hey, Ra!" Robin shouted, beginning to run towards the city. "I need to cash in that favor early!"

 _ **Franky's Side**_

"Fresh-"

"Air door." A voice stated, along with the sound of an airlock opening.

"Fire!" Franky finished, releasing a gout of flame towards the blueprints in his hand.

With a rush of air, a broad man with black hair shaped into horns, a beard that consisted of a series of lines running down his chin, and a thin mustache appeared, blocking the fire. He wore a short-sleeved, yellow and black, polka dot button up, plain blue jeans and tennis shoes. "Iron Body."

"Blueno?!" Iceberg questioned in shock. "What are you doing here?!"

"He's one too!" Franky exclaimed, ripping the fake skin off his right hand. "Strong Right!"

Smashing his fist into Blueno's stomach, the shipwright extended his arm using a huge chain inside the limb, causing the assassin to crash through multiple walls. Retracting his arm, Franky turned around and began running for the door, locking his forearm back into place as he went. "Don't worry, you won't be hearing from me again."

"Franky, wait, I'm sorr-" Iceberg started with a hand extended. But it was too late, Franky was long gone.

' _What am I going to do?!'_ The cyborg asked himself, as he ran down alleys and side streets. ' _I have to get to the sea train, it should be pulling in right about now, and a normal ship would be caught easily by those fuckers!'_

"Swish!" Suddenly a blade of compressed air cut into his chest, slowing him down. Looking up, Franky was discouraged by the form of Kaku bearing down on him from above by using Moonwalk.

"Damn!" Franky muttered, looking around frantically for an escape route. Seeing an archway that lead down, the cyborg dashed towards it, hoping to lose him underground. Kaku, seeing his target attempting to escape, aimed for the entrance expecting to see Franky running away. Instead the cyborg had turned around and immediately spit a volley of nails at the assassin. "Master Nail!"

Unable to active his Iron Body in time, Kaku was sent flying backwards, impaled with several of the projectiles. Not waiting to check if his attack worked, Franky dashed into the underground of Water Seven. Stuffing the plans back into his chest, the cyborg tried to navigate the convoluted area that existed underneath the main streets.

After the repeated destruction caused by Aqua Laguna, a labyrinth of partially destroyed buildings ran beneath the city, where all kinds of unlawful and immoral activities were hidden from disapproving eyes. Once upon a time, Franky had been a participant of those activities, and therefore knew quite a bit about the area, but it had been years since he had used them, causing his predicament. After several minutes of running, The cyborg finally reached the end of the maneuverable section of the labyrinth, forcing him to ascend into the streets once more.

When he reached the top, Franky slowed to make sure none of the CP9 agents were there waiting for him. Seeing no one, the shipwright ran out continuing to use backs ways to avoid detection.

"Stop, Cutty Flam!" A male voice sounded behind him suddenly.

As he continued sprinting, Franky turned his head to look behind him. Standing casually with his hands pocketed, Lucci stood eyeing his prey emotionlessly. Kicking his leg so hard it blurred, the assassin sent a wind blade speeding towards the cyborg. "Tempest Kick!"

Not knowing if his body could withstand the attack, Franky jumped into the air in order to dodge.

"Razor!" Lucci said, almost seeming to teleport behind Franky's airborne form, his leg pulled back in preparation for an attack. "Tempest Kick!"

"Crap!" Franky yelled, attempting to twist around in order to catch the blade on his armored front. "Gah!"

As the shipwright spun, he was able to block most of the damage on his front, but the rest of the attack cut into his vulnerable back, causing it to ooze blood. In addition to the slash, Franky was sent shooting through a building, making it collapse and partially bury him in rubble. With his vision blurry, the cyborg tried to pull himself from under the debris in order to continue fleeing, when he felt a heel press down on his chest.

"It's over, _Cutty Flam_ ," Khalifa stated , forcing the heel deeper into his fake skin. "You gave us a good chase, I'll admit, but you're caught. Give us the blueprints willingly, and we may reduce your sentence of resisting arrest."

Franky just laughed. "You think you scare me? Any of you little government dogs? Ha! If you want to get these, you'll have to take them off my dead body, or better yet, die with me when I detonate all my weapons at once!"

"Shit!" Khalifa yelled, leaping backwards.

"Pfuhahaha!" Franky laughed, tears streaming down his face. "That's all it took to scare you? That's the difference between us, I've already faced death, you can't even look sidelong at it!"

"Quit your bluffing," Lucci stated evenly, landing next Khalifa. "And you should be ashamed to call yourself CP9." He said, giving his fellow assassin a look of disgust. "Blueno, Kaku, cuff him. If he doesn't want to give the plans willingly, we'll rip him open and find them."

Just as the other two agents appeared out of the dust, something covered the sun, causing a shadow to darken the area. Turning around, the group looked up to see what it was.

"Is that-" Kaku began, unable to comprehend what he was looking at.

"Giant legs?!" Kalifa finished, her jaw hanging open.

Even Lucci and Blueno, who were normally unflappable, had expressions of mild surprise and shock respectively.

 _ **Robin's Side**_

"Oh, so now you need me?" Ra asked rhetorically, but kept following Robin nonetheless.

Gritting her teeth, the ex-assassin turned back towards him. "Yes, now will you honor your word?"

"Sure," the man shrugged. "But what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to let me, and the friend I talked about earlier, to escape from CP9," Robin explained, crossing her arms. "But follow my lead."

"Oh, that's who they were, I guess that makes sense, I heard the World Government was doing some kind of operation here," Ra said, tapping his lips thoughtfully. "Anyways~, lead on, madame."

"I said I didn't want to do this for awhile, but I guess I don't have much of a choice! Mil Fleur, Throw!" Robin announced, sprouting a massive hand that grabbed her gently, before tossing her high in the air, towards the battle. Once she reached the apex of her flight, Robin crossed her arms once more. "Cien Fleur, Wing!" Growing a mass of limbs, she let herself glide until she could see the agents that were crowded around the half buried form of Franky. Tilting herself into a feet-first dive, the ex-assassin released her wings, before growing two huge legs out of the bottom of her feet, separating them so she wouldn't smash into Franky.

Pulling themselves out of their collective surprise, the CP9 agents either Moonwalked or Shaved out of the way, allowing Robin to plow a considerably sized trench in the already damaged building.

"Ho. Ly. Shit. Robin?!" Franky yelled from where he was buried. "How the hell did you get here so fast?!"

"Sea train," Robin replied simply, letting her giant limbs disappear.

"Huh, that's convenient," the cyborg stated, trying to release himself. "Could I get a hand? Or twenty?"

"Sure, Veinte Fleur!" The archaeologist stated, using the new arms to quickly free her crew mate.

Standing up, Franky dusted himself off with a sigh. "Thanks, but what happened to CP9?"

"Oh, he's taking care of it," Robin said offhandedly, pointing to her left.

Following her finger, Franky's jaw fell open, literally. Lucci, in his hybrid leopard form, stood pounding at what seemed to be thin air, with Kaku and Khalifa's bodies unconscious behind him. Standing next to them, Ra stood checking his fingernails with a 'I'm doing this because I have to' face. As the cyborg watched him, however, he leaned backwards, expecting something to land against, but instead fell, hitting his head.

"How are they like that, and who is this idiot?" Franky questioned in shock, pointing at Ra's fallen form.

"One, 'that idiot' as you called him is the one doing it, and two, his name isn't important, I'll explain everything later." Robin stated, tugging at the shipwright's arm. "Right now we have to get off this island, before their backup arrives!"

" _If_ they even have backup," Franky objected, but began following the archaeologist anyways.

"That's not a risk we can take," Robin stated, heading for the main port. "We've got to sneak aboard a ship."

"I'm not the best at stealth…" Franky said, rubbing a hand on his neck awkwardly.

"Just follow me, and we'll be fine, this isn't my first rodeo, you know?" She responded, pointing to her hat jokingly. "Just be sure to button up your shirt, to hide your wounds."

"And deny everyone the sight of this figure?" He asked, doing a pose.

"...Yes." Robin said, giving him a flat look, causing Franky to fall to his knees in despair.

Once they reached the port, Robin began walking down the pier, looking at the assembled ships, while Franky followed along behind her, whistling as if he was trying to be inconspicuous.

"Wait-" Franky suddenly stopped, looking at a specific ship's flag.

"What? I'm trying to find an easy one to board!" The ex-assassin hissed back without looking.

"I don't think that will be necessary anymore," the cyborg explained, beginning to walk towards one of the many moored ships.

Trusting that the shipwright knew what he was doing, Robin gave up looking for a ship and turned to see what had given him so much confidence. Raising an eyebrow in confusion at what she saw, the archaeologist stepped up next to Franky, who was standing next to the ship.

"Hey! Anyone on board?!" The shipwright yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth.

"Damn fans," Someone above muttered to themselves. "Yes? How can I help you?"

"Is this Soul King Brook's boat?" He asked politely.

The man looked confused. "Do you mean Skull King Brook?"

"Yes! Sorry, he misspoke," Robin answered quickly, looping her arm through Franky's. "I'm a huge fan, and I was wanting to know if I could meet with the man for a few moments. My husband here doesn't have as much of an appreciation of the arts, as I do."

"I'm sorry ma'am but-"

"We would be willing to pay," Robin interjected, pulling out her wad of 10,000 Beri notes.

The man seemed conflicted for a moment, before seeming to come to a decision. "It will be 500,000 Beri," He declared, crossing his arms.

"That's outrag-" Franky began, raising his fist at the man.

"Easy, _honey_ ," Robin urged, elbowing the cyborg in the ribs. "Here you are."

Throwing a small amount of the money up to the man, the two waited patiently for him to allow them up. With a shocked face, the worker tossed a rope ladder over the side, before pocketing the cash. Once they were on the vessel, the man lead them below deck to a door with a gold star on the outside.

"Mr. Brook, you have a pair of admirers here to see you." He stated, knocking on the door.

After a moment, the door opened, revealing a tall skeleton with an afro, that wore a flamboyant, pink shirt, bright orange and yellow striped pants, and a slightly ripped, purple cloak. For a few moments, Brook just stood there, staring at the pair, before water began to flow out of his hollow eye sockets. Rushing forward, the musician grabbed his friends in a hug, dampening their clothes with his tears.

"It's been so long! If it wasn't for my powers, I would have gone mad!" Brook yelled, hugging them all the tighter, thanking Umi that everything he remembered was real.

"It's really you!" Robin exclaimed, hugging the skeleton back, elated to be returned to not just one, but two of her friends in the same day.

"How are you here already?" Franky asked, after also embracing the musician briefly.

"Before we get into that, Miss Robin may I see your pant-" Brook asked, before being smacked by an arm that had sprouted from his shoulder, causing his skull to spin around.

"Ah, so nostalgic!" Brook exclaimed, fixing his cranium. "Follow me to my room, and we'll trade stories! Thank you for bringing them Tim!" He told the man who was still standing awkwardly next to the door.

"No problem…"

 _ **Ra's Side**_

"Now that they're gone…" The logia muttered, turning to his captives. "Tell me where your friend went."

"It doesn't matter, he's in a dimension only accessible to himself," Lucci gasped from where he lay restrained in mid-air, alongside Kaku and Khalifa.

"Tsk, well, nothing I can do about that," Ra shrugged. "Now, unless you all want to die, tell me what you were here for."

"First, tell me what the leader of Akhet is doing in the first half of the Grand Line!" Lucci questioned, struggling against his unseen bonds.

"To find someone," The blonde explained simply, brushing his hair out of his face. "Now, are you going to answer my question...?"

"Screw off!" The leopard man denied, flicking a finger at his captor. "Flying Finger Pistol: Sting!" A small, compressed bullet of air shot at the leader, who simply moved his head to dodge.

"Well, I guess you made your choice," Ra sighed, turning away. As he did so, the trio's torsos began to be invisibly crushed, causing them to cough up blood.

"W-wait, I'll tell you…" Khalifa sputtered, her midsection significantly more warped that the other two.

"Don't you-!" Lucci commanded, before being unable to speak any further.

"Oh, please do tell, but you don't have long~" Ra warned in a merry voice, as her chest continued to be deformed.

"Blueprints for Pluton!" Khalifa blurted out. "That cyborg has the blueprints for one of the Ancient Weapons!"

At her announcement, Lucci looked murderous, but was unable to make a sound. Kaku, on the other hand, just looked slightly relieved.

"Interesting, very interesting," Ra said, stroking his scruff. "Looks like I might have to strike up another deal!"

 **Well there you have it, sorry about still not getting back to the start of canon, but I have what I wanted to do already mostly mapped out. There will still be one more chapter before we go ahead and skip forward, but I like to think, what's the point of time traveling if you're not going to spend a little time in the past?**

 **Anyways, let me know what you thought, as always, but I would really like to know what you think about Amun-Ra. I apologize to everyone who spent time trying to figure out who he was in chapter 9. Also, since I'm busy and each chapter will take around a week to get out, at the earliest, I'll be doing the comment response section every 2nd chapter from here on out, just to let you know.**

 **Finally, I would be super grateful if someone wants to be my beta reader, and help me clean up the first couple of chapters, because looking back they are kind of a mess, and even my most recent ones have mistakes. Send me a message if you're interested, and, to everyone, thanks for reading!**


	13. Family Against Friends

**First off, Happy Late Thanksgiving! (if you celebrate it)**

 **Sorry guys I know it's been awhile but I've been sick, and every day I'm not at work I've been trying to get better, but it hasn't worked out so well...**

 **Anyways, I don't own One Piece and I think this the longest chapter I've made, so enjoy!**

 **P.S. Review Response at the bottom**

 _ **East Blue, Conomi Islands**_

A blue haired woman, with pale skin and a heart tattoo in the middle of her chest that connected to a complex swirl pattern on her right arm, stood, peeling a tangerine. Taking the fruit, the woman sat down in front of a small, wooden dining table and began eating. All too soon after, she finished the meal, even though her stomach cried for more.

"Shh now, we'll eat our fill once Nami buys this island, it won't be much longer now," the woman said, patting her midsection. "Now to go finish trimming Mom's-no, the trees, _the_ trees."

Standing, the woman slapped her cheeks, as if to wake herself up. Opening the door of the small house, the mid-morning sun shone down on the woman, revealing that she was wearing a broad brimmed hat, a dull yellow tank top, dark blue jeans, and work boots. Grabbing a pair of gardening gloves and a tree pruner, the woman started towards the expansive grove of tangerine trees that surrounded the house on three sides. Just as she prepared to begin trimming the trees, the sky suddenly darkened, forcing the area into twilight.

"What, a storm?" The woman asked herself, raising her head to the sky.

As she looked up, the wind began to blow, steadily increasing in speed with each passing second. With the breeze transforming into a squall, the trees shook their branches wildly, almost whipping the woman across her body. Shielding herself from the thrashing limbs, the woman continued to stare at the sky, bewildered by the thunderstorm that had suddenly appeared directly over Arlong Park like some kind of heavenly warning.

" **BOOM!** "

A massive bolt of lightning split the sky, blinding her, before deafening her as well with the following thunder. For a few moments, she stood oblivious to the world around her, awestruck by the power of nature.

' _If you can do that, just erase it all! I'll do anything, just destroy those damn_ fishmen!' The woman begged, hoping someone, _anything_ would listen.

Suddenly, one of the waving branches hit her in the lower back, sending pain coursing through her body. Finally realizing the danger she was in, the woman ran back to her small cottage, while clutching the injury. The moment she escaped the grove, the woman turned back towards the eye of the storm and watched as the mass of clouds slowly began to twist and lower. With a cruel grin, the woman watched as a tornado formed and began to completely decimate Arlong Park. With each piece of rubble that was flung, she chuckled gleefully at the destruction, until she broke down into giggles.

"You thought, hahaha, you, ha, were _so_ superior, hahahaha, but in the face of Nature, what can you do? HAHAHAHA!"

"Nojiko?"

"HAH-" Nojiko stopped mid laugh, turning to the voice, revealing a certain red headed navigator. "Nami?"

"Noko, I missed you!" The thief yelled, grabbing her sister in a bear hug.

"Dammit, how many times have I told you not to use that nickname?!" The older sibling reprimanded, hugging her back. "Did you see that storm? It destroyed Arlong Park, we might be free now!"

"...I saw it," Nami said slowly, releasing the embrace. "I have so much to tell you, but first I should introduce you to my crew mate!"

Straightening, the navigator gestured to her side, showcasing the large form of Jinbei. The whale shark fishman stood nervously stroking his goatee, waiting for the siblings to finish their reunion. Noticing they were done, Jinbei flattened his kimono and extended a webbed hand towards Nojiko.

Ignoring the proffered limb, Nojiko just stared disbelievingly at the navigator. "What do you mean, crew mate?" The woman asked angrily. "Why would I want to meet one of Arlong's new lackeys?!"

"He's not-"

"I think it would be best if I took it from here," Jinbei interjected, placing a calming hand on Nami's shoulder.

Turning, the navigator looked him in the eyes, and, seeing the resolution in them, sighed heavily. "I suppose."

Noticing how much was shared in just a few glances, Nojiko twisted her face, as if she just smelled something awful. "Wait, are you…" She trailed off for a moment, pointing from one to the other. "Are you a _couple?!"_

"Whoa! Nonononono!" Jinbei reeled, waving his hands in absolute shock.

"So what if we were?!" Nami questioned, pointing threatenly at her sister.

"It would be unforgivable!" Nojiko yelled, seemingly having her suspicions confirmed. "What would Bellemere say?!"

"I don't care! Jinbei is my friend, and he's better than 90% of the people I've met!" The navigator shouted, poking her sister's chest. "So I won't sit here and listen to you bad mouth him!"

"But he's a fucking _fishman,_ " Nojiko stated, putting as much loathing on the word as she could.

"Stop!" Jinbei declared, separating the two forcibly. "I don't want to see family fight like this, especially for my sake."

"Don't touch me!" Nojiko shrieked, smacking his arm away.

"Okay," Jinbei placated, holding his hands up. "Just listen to my story, then your sister's, please."

For a moment Nojiko looked as if she would continue to argue, but relented when she finally registered how huge Jinbei actually was.

"Fine," The woman ground out, crossing her arms.

"First off, I'm Jinbei, and-

"Wait, not the Warlord, 'Knight of The Sea' Jinbei, right?" Nojiko asked, paling slightly.

"No, that's me," The fishman affirmed casually.

"...Okay, as long as we're clear," Nojiko mumbled, now white as a sheet.

"Anyways…" The Warlord told the full story of the fishmen's grudge against humans, and how Arlong ended up in the East Blue.

"So, what you're telling me…" Nojiko said through clenched teeth. "Is _you're_ the reason my mother died! Because you didn't have the balls to stop a monster when you had the chance!"

"You're right," Jinbei agreed, dropping to his hands and knees. "I allowed something unforgivable, and just like your sister before you, I have come to make amends."

"Amends, huh?" The woman questioned, a hateful look marring her visage. "The only way to rectify a death, is to give your own life!"

Jinbei looked into Nojiko's eyes and saw the deep seated hate and fear residing in them. With a sigh, the helmsman reached into his kimono and produced a flintlock pistol, which he offered grip first to Nojiko. For a moment the fishman sat waiting, until the blue haired woman uncertainly grabbed the firearm and put the barrel against his head.

"What do you-"

"Nami! She has to make her own decision! I don't deserve your compassion!" Jinbei shouted, holding up a hand to stop the navigator. Turning back to the woman who held his life in her hands, he stared deep into her rage clouded eyes once more, then closed his own in resolution. "Just promise me one thing Nojiko."

"What?!"

"Don't spread your fear and hate to the next generation, let the cycle end with you."

Nojiko's eyes widened almost imperceptibly at his request, but she kept the weapon aimed at the pirate's head. As the seconds dragged on, the woman's hands began to shake until...

" **Kerchow!"**

The gun fell out of her hands and fired, leaving a bullet hole in the side of the cottage. Falling to her knees in front of the fishman, Nojiko grabbed her face in frustration, nails cutting into her flesh.

"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!" Nojiko cried into her hands. "Why can't I do it? I could finally get justice for Bellemere, but I can't do it!"

"Because you are better than your abusers," Jinbei said soothingly. "We all have choices to make, and today was an important one for you."

Rising, the fishman grabbed Nami's shoulder and pulled her away from the still sobbing form of Nojiko.

"I need to make sure Arlong's subordinates don't cause an uproar on the island, so I will return later. We'll sort the rest of our plans out then," He whispered, making sure no one else was around using Observation.

"Before you go."

'SMACK!'

Nami slapped the fishman across the face with all of her strength. Grabbing his right cheek, Jinbei stared at the navigator in shock.

"What was that for?!"

"For making me worry about you unnecessarily!" The thief yelled back. "Even if you think it's for the 'greater good', think about how the rest of us will feel, if you're going to risk yourself let us join you dammit!"

As pain of the strike slowly faded, Jinbei felt a burst of happiness flare in his chest. For as long as he could remember, no one had ever worried about his well being. No, he was always a leader or too strong to be feared for. But here was a person telling him to risk her life, even though she, physically, was weaker than him, and a human to boot. One that had every right to hate him as much as her sister did.

"Sorry, there won't be a next time," Jinbei stated awkwardly as he began to leave.

"There better not! Now I will calm her down then explain the rest of our craziness, hopefully she'll be better by then," the navigator huffed, already moving back towards her sister.

Reaching down, Nami pulled her sister into another embrace, allowing her to cry her frustration out. After several more minutes of hiccups and tears, Nojiko pulled back, attempting to clean her face on the back of her hand. Even after she sobered, Nojiko kept her head bowed, staring at where the gun had landed.

"Nojiko, it's okay, please look at me," Nami said softly. "I shouldn't have brought Jinbei until I had completely explained the situation."

"You shouldn't have brought him at all," Nojiko mumbled, her hair blocking any view of her face. "It was his fault...and I couldn't even bring myself to avenge her…"

"I know it hurt losing Bellemere, but you can't let an extremist group twist you into copies of themselves!" The navigator exclaimed, spreading her arms. "That's why you couldn't do it, because you know, deep down, it would make you no better than them! Now get up, dust yourself off, and put on a smile like Mom used to tell us!"

"Why should I?"

"Because fun times are here! We're finally free from Arlong!" Nami yelled, doing her best imitation of Luffy's signature grin.

Looking up with the smallest hint of a smile, Nojiko met her sister's face. "Really?" She asked hesitantly.

"Really! Now let's go in the house, I have one hell of a tale for you!" The pirate proclaimed, already opening the front door. "And do you have any sake? It's been awhile since I've had a drink!"

With that statement it was as if a switch was flipped in Nojiko's head, causing her to run and chop her sister's head. "You're a minor! You shouldn't be drinking randomly, it's dangerous!"

"Ouch!" Nami yelled, grabbing the goose egg growing from her head. "I'm a grown woman who can do what she likes!"

"Not when I'm here!" Nojiko denied, her face mostly back to normal, with only her puffy eyes showing the stress she just went through. "I have some tangerine juice you can drink!"

"Like hell!" Nami exclaimed, running to raid her sister's pantry.

"Dammit Nami!" The sibling yelled, chasing after her with an exasperated grin.

Seeing her sister back to her old self, Nami smiled as well, glad her distraction worked. Quickly grabbing two homemade, wooden mugs and a bottle of tangerine wine, Nami sat in one of the chairs surrounding the dining table. With an experienced flourish, the navigator filled the mugs and set one across from her, while downing the other.

"Ahhh," Nami sighed, wiping a few drops of alcohol off her lips. "That is some good wine!"

Plopping into the chair across from her, Nojiko took a sip as well, all the while giving the thief a disapproving look. "Now you said you have a story to tell me…?"

"Before that, have you ever wished for a do-over, a second chance?" Nami asked, her face hardening.

"Of course, hasn't everyone at some point?" Nojiko answered easily, although her face scrunched in confusion. "...but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Because I got one," the navigator stated, rubbing her temples. "I have been sent five years into the past."

"What?! Why wou-"

"Before you even ask," Nami interrupted with a raised finger, upon seeing her sister's irate face. "That was the furthest back we could go."

Having her issue addressed, Nojiko released her breath as a look of realization hit her. "We? What do you mean by _we_?"

"I mean my crew," Nami explained, readying herself for a long explanation. "It all started with a man falling out of the sky…"

As the story was told, the sisters continued to drink, ending with the eldest being completely wasted, and the younger being barely buzzed. Attempting to stand, Nojiko teetered dangerously, clutching the table for dear life. Nami on the other hand, finished the bottle and both of their cups, before standing easily. Grabbing her sister's arm, the pirate flung it over her shoulder and grabbed the older woman by the waist, helping her stand.

"Maybe the alcohol wasn't such a good idea…" Nami reflected, half carrying Nojiko towards the bedroom.

"At was won 'el afa sory, 'is,"* Nojiko slurred, her head lolling onto her sister's shoulder.

"I know, I know," Nami humored, kicking open the bedroom door.

Leading her to the bed, Nami tried to let Nojiko lay down by herself, but soon discovered she had fallen asleep. With a sigh, the navigator then leaned the dead weight of her sister onto the bed but, unable to move it easily, ended up falling on the bed with a yelp of surprise. With her inebriated sibling now in bed, Nami moved to stand, but realized that her arm was now trapped underneath her sister's body. After several attempts at freeing the trapped limb, the red head flopped back in defeat.

"Well, I guess I could use a nap anyways," She sighed, cuddling up to her sister in order to be more comfortable. As if from memory, Nojiko also curled an arm around Nami, mirroring the way they slept when they were younger. With a peaceful smile, the time traveler drifted off to sleep.

"Nami!"

'Bang'

'Bang'

'Bang'

"Nami, we have a big problem!"

"Huh?" Nami mumbled, lifting her head. After a few moments, her senses registered that Jinbei was yelling and banging on the door. Untangling herself from the mass of limbs that was Nojiko, Nami ran to the front door and threw it open, her Clima-Tact out and ready. "What?!"

For a moment Jinbei stood stunned by the unkempt form of Nami, whose hair looked like a rats nest and clothes which were wrinkled and drool stained. Pulling himself from the shock, Jinbei handed her three bounty posters. Seemingly relieved that there wasn't an immediate threat, Nami ripped the papers from his hand and looked at the top most one. It was an updated bounty poster of Robin with her eyes shining out from a shadowed face, making her appear quite evil.

'Demon Child' Nico Robin, Wanted Dead or Alive: 100,000,000 Beris

"What happened?!" Nami exclaimed, raising her head to look at Jinbei, and noticing a sizable cut on his nose.

The fishman simply shook his head and pointed back at the papers. "That's not all, I'll tell you what happened after you look at the others."

Now even more concerned, Nami returned her gaze to the bounties and uncovered the second one, revealing a picture of Franky's previous form, along with a picture of him when he was still fully human.

'Cyborg' Franky AKA Cutty Flam, Alive Only: 100,000,000 Beris

"The fuck are those idiots doing?!"

"Look at the last one," Jinbei sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Turning to the last page, Nami gasped in surprise. "Not Chopper, I would expect it from everyone else, but you too?" On the poster was a hand drawn rendition of Monster Point against a snowy mountain with a multitude of bodies strewn around him.

Monster of Drum Island, Dead Only: 200,000,000 Beris*

Underneath the reward amount, there was a small notice. *Bounty to be collected from the ruler of Drum Kingdom, King Wapol II.

"How did they cause such a ruckus in one day?!" Nami demanded, slamming the bounties into Jinbei's chest.

"Oof, well, it seems that Franky and Robin started a commotion at Water Seven that ended with a section of the city completely demolished, a hundred people injured, and one Yagara Bull dead." Jinbei explained, storing the bounties in his kimono. "As for Chopper, he went on a rampage and decimated Drum Kingdom's army, then sent Wapol and his advisors flying off the island for unknown reasons."

"I guess something happened with CP9," Nami mused after overcoming her initial irritation. "And Chopper was just sick of Wapol? That still doesn't make sense, but I trust he had a reason. Either way, there isn't really anything we can do at the moment, so how were the rest of Arlong's men?"

At the mention of the other fishmen, Jinbei began laughing until tears began to leak out of his eyes. "Wahahaha!"

"What is so funny?!" The navigator demanded, resisting the urge to strike the martial artist.

Ignoring her question, Jinbei walked pass her into the house and sat at the table the two sisters had drunk at previously, where he continued to laugh for another minute. Upon finally sobering, the fishman gestured at the seat across from him. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, the teen sat across from him with an expectant look.

"As you know, I went to find the rest of the fishmen," Jinbei started, rubbing his eyes clear of tears. "I found them about a mile north of Arlong Park, hiding in the forest."

 _ **Flashback**_

As the sun began to set, Jinbei strolled through the temperate forest, wondering if he had handled the situation with Nojiko the correct way, while also trying to locate the rest of Arlong's men. After a few more moments, Jinbei finally sensed multiple humanoid auras pulling himself from his thoughts. Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, the Warlord stepped into the clearing, expecting to find the pirates planning their revenge. Instead, Jinbei found his fellow fishmen carving crosses from tree branches, speaking blessings over sea water, and burning sage around the perimeter of the clearing.

Upon noticing the new arrival, Hatchan drew his swords and crossed them, forming three 'T' shapes. "The power of the sea compels you!" He yelled, thrusting the makeshift crosses at the Warlord.

"...What?" Jinbei questioned in absolute confusion, before pointing at himself. "Don't you recognize me?"

"Jinbei?" Hatchan questioned, partially lowering his katanas. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't trust it!" Kuroobi warned, throwing a vial of sea water at his previous captain. "It could be one of the witch's tricks!"

The Arlong Pirates tensed as the container crashed against Jinbei's chest, seemingly fearful of something happening. The helmsman waited for several moments, expecting something to occur. When nothing did, Jinbei raised his head and stared blankly at Kuroobi.

"Are you an idiot?" The pirate asked, using Fishman Karate to pull the water from his clothes.

"Thank goodness!" Kuroobi cried with relief, rushing to Jinbei's side. "You have to help us, Boss!"

Taken aback once more, Jinbei raised a questioning eyebrow. "With what exactly?"

"The witch!...chew," the smelt whiting fishman exclaimed, running up beside Kuroobi. "She can create illusions and control the weather!...chew."

"To be fair, she told us she could help us mutiny against Arlong," Hatchan explained, sheathing his swords. "But then she completely destroyed our base with a tornado."

Final realizing the trio were talking about Nami, Jinbei covered his mouth in an attempt not to laugh.

"Why did you want to mutiny?" Jinbei questioned through his hands, making him appear as though he was about to be sick.

"It was a mistake to follow him," Hatchan stated, speaking over Kuroobi and Chew. "He became what he hated. Deep down I knew what we had been doing was wrong, but after how the humans betrayed Fisher…"

The fishman trailed off, but Jinbei could hear the sadness in his voice causing all amusement he found from the situation to vanish. Looking into the trio's eyes, the Warlord could see his own grief reflected in theirs. In Kuroobi and Chew's, however, the helmsman also saw the same deep seated hate he had seen in Nojiko earlier, but to a much lesser extent. Heaving a sigh, Jinbei rested his hands on their shoulders.

"I will help you, but, for doing so, you must become my subordinates again," Jinbei started, before cutting off their quick agreements. " _So_ that means no more enslaving humans, or killing, if you can help it."

"Sounds good to me," Hatchan agreed immediately. "I miss the old days."

Kuroobi and Chew hesitated, but agreed after a few moments to think it out. The rest of the grunts, seeing their leaders agree, and hearing of Jinbei's power, also nodded in agreement.

"Good," The Warlord smirked. "Now I don't have to turn any of you into the Marines."

The fishmen laughed, believing him to be joking. "You wouldn't do that, we're old comrades." Kuroobi chuckled, elbowing the older man.

"If you want to jeopardize peace, I wouldn't hesitate," Jinbei declared, his gaze almost seeming like a physical pressure as it passed over the gathered pirates. After a second, the moment passed and the fishmen released a collective breath they hadn't known they had been holding.

"But none of you declined, so there isn't anything to worry about, _right?_ " The newest Strawhat asked with a raised eyebrow.

"O-of course!" They yelled in sync. _'So this is what a Warlord of the Sea is like…?'_

"Anyways, I have had an eventful day, so I'm going to rest here then we'll deal with the 'witch' tomorrow," Jinbei proclaimed, resting his back again an especially wide tree. "And quit making all that supernatural stuff, it won't help you."

"But she's a witch!"

"No, she's not, if I've learned anything in the grand line, its that if someone has a weird power it's either a Devil Fruit or some odd weapon," Jinbei explained, before thinking back to his experience with Umi. "Then again, there are many things that perhaps no one has ever seen before, so you should still keep an open mind, I suppose."

"Don't make such wishy-washy statements!"

Ignoring that final outburst, Jinbei closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep underneath the finally risen moon.

'Peck'

'Peck'

'Peck'

'BITE'

"Ouch!" Jinbei shouted, grabbing his nose in pain.

Looking around for his attacker, the Warlord was greeted by the pleased looking smirk worn by the News Coo that sat licking its blood stained beak. Noticing that his customer was awake, the avian grabbed one of the many newspapers from his satchel and threw it right into the fishman's face, before quickly flying away.

"I know your boss is a dick, but that doesn't mean you have to be one…" Jinbei muttered, rubbing his bleeding face.

Upon lifting up the newspaper, several smaller papers fell out it, causing the Warlord to switch his attention to them. "New bounties huh? Wonder if it's anyone I know?"

After reading the three names he hadn't been expecting to see, Jinbei raised his head to the sky with an unimpressed face. "Is this your idea of a joke? If so, it needs work."

 _ **Flashback End**_

"Wow, okay," Nami breathed, once Jinbei finished his tale. "So they're scared of me now?" She asked, unable to comprehend even one of Arlong's crew being afraid of _her._

"Yep, and they want me to beat you up for them," Jinbei chuckled, slightly adjusting the bandage Nami had given him while he had been talking.

"Seriously?" Nami chuckled, before whipping her head back at Jinbei. "But wait you said you were going to make them your subordinates again, I don't think Luffy would appreciate that, he didn't even want the Grand Fleet."

"Well I have 2-3 years right?" Jinbei asked, becoming serious. "I just want to rehabilitate them, so something like your story doesn't happen again. If, once that time comes, they are still the same, I'll turn them over to the Marines."

"Okay, I'll trust you," Nami stated, nodding. "For the moment though, I have a fun idea!"

 **There we have it, probably the last chapter before we skip forward in time, not much really happened, but its set up for later,** _ **hopefully**_ **the next chapter won't be such a long wait, but who knows? Again, I apologize for the wait. *lays prostrate***

 **Review Response:**

 **El Pirato:**

 _ **Will there be an rogue Charlottes(besides Lola) in your story?**_

 **A:**

 **Well, unlike a lot of people, I quite enjoyed Whole Cake, and the Big Mom Pirates(except**

 **Flampe, screw her!) so there's always a chance. Plus, we know Big Mom has influence through all the seas since she could threaten Zeff. Side note, it makes me think Lola is going to get killed/ captured at some point, since she isn't hidden on Thriller Bark anymore.**

 **bloody dragon fang:**

 _ **Nice work**_

 **Blood Rogue dragon deity king:**

 _ **Oh man, not bad. good thrill**_

 **A:**

 **Thanks, all your words of encouragement help me get through all the struggles of being a writer!**

 **Buterflypuss:**

 _ **Good chap (and no problem, i like to show my support...consistently)**_

 _ **Good chap**_

 **A:**

 **Don't ever change! And I appreciate it immensely, you wouldn't believe how much a little comment like these can raise a person's spirit!**

 **PraetorXyn:**

 _ **Solid update. I'm not the biggest Chopper fan either but I've always felt Kureha was probably insanely strong.**_

 **A:**

 **Thanks, I don't hate Chopper, but, even though he is a transforming reindeer, he somehow always felt like a bland character to me. Well Oda himself said that normal humans can live to be ~140 and superhumans can live past that, and Kureha still seems to be going steady, so she's definitely a badass.**

 **Matt:**

 _ **I'll check for the story and ok for the info of replacing the mouse with a lizard. We have a winner!**_

 _ **Uh-oh, a new villain has been revealed! Wonder what D.F. he has? Also it's Kalifa.**_

 _ **Hope you update soon.**_

 **A:**

 **Ah the troubles with time travel! I'm glad it was the right story as well! Glad he intrigues you, but he shall return to the shadows for now. Damn Autocorrect, smh. Here's your update, enjoy! Also I would recommend just making an account, because I would have just messaged you sooner than the chapter was out, haha.**

 **Soledge1:**

 _ **well that is about everyone but Jinbei but he never had that much air time anyway in the manga. so worry about him later. a time skip next to see how they all changed.**_

 **A:**

 **Sorry, but this is the last chapter of set up, now we'll go back to Luffy and set out to be King of the Pirates!**

 **ChunkyFunkyMunky:**

 _ **Ugh, I really do not understand why people make obsolete deities in worlds that never have any.**_

 **A:**

 **Oooo my first negative comment! Took longer than expected. But my rebuttal to your remark is:**

 **Its fanfiction, that's kind of the point. That's like saying why do people make 4 way yaoi or harems?**

 **If you go back to the Thriller Bark Arc, when they find the barrel in the water, Robin explains that people do it to pray for safe passage from the sea gods, so there are, at the very least, people who worship sea gods. I just thought it would be a fun twist on the time travel trope.**

 **Who said Umi was obsolete?**

 **Freddo Faud:**

 _ **Really disappointed that you decided to use OCs to bullshit your way out and now it will just be some random ass bullshit with this Ra guy. Hopefully, they are only here for a bit or I'm gonna have to drop this**_

 **A:**

 **Sorry you feel that way, and they won't be relevant for awhile, but they** _ **will**_ **be returning. And I already had Amun-Ra in mind as a character before hand, and I figured it would be better to slightly introduce him now, instead of later on. If that makes it where you can't read my story, then I apologise that it doesn't give you enjoyment and hope you find another story that does.**

 **Bloody Rogue dragon deity king:**

 _ **Oh man, big surprise**_

 **A:**

 **Glad you think so! Hopefully I can keep you on your toes!**

 **bloody dragon fang:**

 _ **things may have gotten a lot more complicated**_

 **A:**

 **If things aren't complicated, it's not One Piece is it? :D**

 **ZabuzasGirl:**

 _ **Wonderful!**_

 _ **Update immediately, please!**_

 **A:**

 **Glad you like it, and I hope you enjoyed the update!**

 **A stands for Author, just so you know. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I appreciate all of them, even if they are negative, we can't all have the same views, right? Until next time, have a good one!**


	14. Re-Romance Dawn

**Finally back to the present! Hope you enjoy because I don't own One Piece!**

 _ **East Blue, Dawn Island: Three Years Later**_

The same beach, the same sky, the same boat. As Luffy took in the image before him, a overwhelming sense of deja vu hit him, pulling the time traveler into his memories for a moment.

"Time to set sail once more!" He yelled in excitement, spreading his arms wide. "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"Dammit, why can't those kids of yours ever be upstanding citizens?" Mayor Woop Slap asked, a disapproving frown wrinkling his face. "I thought Dragon would be, but then he turned into a damn Revolutionary!"

"Damn geezer, you gotta let people be who they were meant to!" Garp responded, picking his nose in a dismissing manner.

"Who are you calling geezer?!" The man demanded, waving his cane. "I'm younger than you are!"

"You're only a geezer when you start acting like one!" Garp laughed, sticking his tongue out.

"Tell me that when you have a heart attack from high cholesterol…" The Mayor mumbled, turning his attention back to the young pirate, who was stepping into the small dinghy.

Luffy now wore a white vest, exposing his chiseled abs and unmarred chest, while hanging around his neck was a red bead necklace to remind himself of Ace and Dadan. Around each of his biceps sat light blue, stone bangles that almost seemed stuck to his arms. Red shorts covered his lower half, using a green sash to secure them in place. On his feet were the same, simple, wooden sandals that he had worn for years. Finally, his not-yet-signature hat sat upon his head, protecting his eyes from the noon sun, a small strap had been added by Makino soon after his return, when it was almost lost during a training session.

After boarding his small craft, the time traveler turned and looked back at his well-wishers. Makino stood with her hands clasped, a few tears falling unbidden from her eyes. Mayor Woop Slap stood grumpily, as if impatient for him to leave, but Luffy could see the fondness that lay in his eyes. The rest of the villagers waved and smiled, proud to see another child growing into adulthood. The bandits stood jeering at the teen in a joking manner, while Dadan(who was forced down the mountain by Luffy) stood, arms crossed, using every drop of willpower to keep her from crying openly at his departure. Lastly, Garp stood in pajamas, casually watching his grandson climb into the tiny vessel.

"Luffy," The ex-Marine called, his mouth widening into a smile. "Give 'em hell!"

Meeting his newest mentor's eye, a grin split the rubber man's face as well. "Of course!"

With that simple promise, Luffy pushed off, beginning his second journey. After only a few minutes of lazy floating, the teen was already bored.

"Why can't something just happen alreadyyyyyyy?!" Luffy complained to the empty ocean.

It did not respond.

"I guess I could eat something…" The pirate captain mused, before vetoing that idea. " No! I promised gramps I wouldn't eat any of the supplies until at least one hour after I left. Dammit!"

As he continued to lay on the floor of the boat, images of Hancock began to float through his head, ending with when she had laid topless. A lecherous grin began to form on his face, when, realizing what he was doing, he sat up and slapped himself.

"Oh no!" He cried, squishing his cheeks together in a panic. "Starvation and loneliness has turned me into Sanji!"

In his distress, the pirate began to run back and forth on the ship, almost causing it to capsize. After a few moments, Luffy had an epiphany, turning to his barrel of rations.

"Sorry gramps, but I have to save myself!"

Ripping open the container, Luffy pulled out the only piece of fresh meat in the whole barrel and took an inhumanly large bite. Immediately, any other thoughts washed away as he enjoyed his meal.

'Splash!'

A wave washed over the boat, soaking Luffy and, much more importantly, his meat. Peeking over his shoulder with a look of irritation, the pirate met the hungry gaze of the Lord of the Coast. Letting loose a small burst of Conqueror's, Luffy turned back to his meat and was about to take another bite when his Observation screamed at him to dodge. Unable to even say his technique, Luffy Razored into the air in order to dodge the Seaking's attack. Continuing to use Moonwalk, the pirate watched as the monster broke his ship in half, eating the rest of his supplies in a single bite. Confused and pissed, Luffy began to use his Conqueror's full blast, only able to subdue the beast after using enough power to knock out 10,000 people.

With his ship now sunk, the captain landed on the eel-like creature's head. Slowly, he placed his hand on the beast and patted its head to make sure he had actually tamed the creature. When he felt it loll out it's tongue and begin waving back and forth happily, he knew everything was fine.

"Normally, for eating all my food I would kick your ass, then eat _you,"_ Luffy told the beast. At the mention of eating him, the monster began to shiver and let out what could only be described as a mewl.

" _But_ ," Luffy said, putting emphasis on the word. "Since it seems like you're quite strong, if you carry me to my friends, I won't eat you."

With a hum of what sounded like agreement, the Seaking took off at an impressive clip, much quicker than he had been traveling before. As they sped along, Luffy stood up and ran his hands through the rushing wind, letting out a whoop of joy. "Keep going, this is way better than floating in some old boat! Faster Eel, faster!"

Responding to his master's wishes the beast doubled its speed, almost blowing the rubber man from his head.

After several hours of aimless traveling, Luffy finally sensed something on the edges of his Observation.

"That way boy!" Luffy commanded, pointing slightly to the left of their current direction. "I sense people over there!"

Thinking there might be food in that direction, Eel changed his orientation instantly, drool leaking from his maw. With the sudden increase in speed, it didn't take long for the form of a large cruise ship to come into view on the horizon. As the sea monster began to close in on the vessel, however, Luffy began to sense feelings of alarm and fear radiating from a majority of the crew, while the rest of the passengers seemed mostly oblivious. Realizing that the common people of the East Blue would be terrified of a Seaking, Luffy patted the beast, signaling for it to stop. For a moment, Eel considered not stopping, but when the sea monster once more felt a weight slam against his mind, he reconsidered.

"Stay here for a moment, I'm going to get directions and some food," Luffy told him, patting the beast once more.

"Bwaa!" Eel cried hungrily, attempting to give the human on its back the Seaking equivalent of puppy dog eyes.

"Shishishi, I'll bring you back something too, don't worry!" Luffy laughed, before leaping high into the air.

Using Moonwalk, the pirate finished closing the distance to the ship, landing right in front of a pair of sailors.

"Gah!" Yelled the first one, jumping back in surprise.

"The fuck?!" Shouted the second who simply stood frozen in shock.

"Hey there!" Luffy exclaimed with a wide smile. "Can I get some directions?"

"Where did you come from?!" They screamed in tandem, eyes bugging out at his nonchalance.

"I Moonwalked here so you wouldn't be afraid of my pet, Eel," The pirate explained, pointing over to the massive sea monster.

"I think we should be more afraid of you!"

"Nah, I just want some food, and some directions if you could give them." Luffy asked, ignoring their outburst.

"S-sure, was, uh, there any you w-wanted? Specifically?" They questioned, afraid to anger the teen that apparently had a pet Seaking, and could fly.

"Yeah! Two big pieces of meat!" Luffy chose, holding up a pair of fingers. "Oh, and one for Eel as well!"

"Sure, just wait here for a minute and we'll get it." The pair stated, before rushing off to tell their captain what had happened.

"Thanks!" Luffy called after them, waving. "They were nice guys."

While waiting for his food, Luffy decided to extend his Observation Haki to make sure there were no unexpected threats located on the ship, a habit Garp had pounded into his skull, quite literally. As he felt the auras of each person, he only discovered that the ship had a bunch of snobby rich people, a few decent rich people, and the crew of the ship that was currently bored out of their minds. Just as he was about to flop against the railing in boredom as well, Luffy sensed a pair of auras slipping through the mass of other people. The captain had almost missed them because they were somehow repressing their presence. Briefly, Luffy mused that if it weren't for Garp's _unorthodox_ training methods he probably wouldn't have noticed them. Intrigued, he continued to track their movements as they stole wallets and jewelry from the unaware nobles and businessmen. As he viewed them, he began to have a feeling that one of them was familiar, but since it was so faint he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"Ahem!" A voice sounded in front of him, pulling the pirate from his observations. Looking up, the rubber man was greeted with the captain of the vessel standing in front of him, arms clasped behind her back. To both sides and slightly behind the woman were the pair of sailors from earlier, carrying three large pieces of meat between them.

"Greetings," the captain proclaimed, extending a hand. "My men here tell me you are looking for a meal and some directions, for you and your pet Seaking?"

"That's right!" Luffy affirmed, nodding his head thankfully. Turning around, the pirate brought his thumb and forefinger to his mouth and let loose a piercing whistle, coupled with a small amount of Haki. Immediately, Eel made his way to side of the ship, looking expectantly at the cuts of meat.

"Heel," Luffy commanded, his tone turning serious for a moment. Once he was sure the beast wouldn't attack the ship, he turned back around to the quivering mass that was the two sailors, and the, now, deathly white captain. "See?"

It took a moment for the captain to find her voice. "I-I do. However, on a voyage such as this, food is a precious resource, therefore we need some kind of compensation for it. Do you have any money?"

"I don't have any money, this one," Luffy pointed back towards Eel, who looked ashamed. "Destroyed my boat and all my supplies. Also I'm not good with cleaning or sailing. I am pretty strong though." He explained honestly.

"Really? If you protect our ship from pirate attacks, we'll let you have meals until we reach the next island. But be warned, we once had Don Krieg attack us." The captain stated, returning the teen's honesty with her own.

"Sounds good to me!" Luffy exclaimed, grabbing the platters of meat. "Until I find my crew I don't have anywhere to be!"

Shocked by his speed, the captain nodded, then began to walk back towards the helm with the duo not far behind her. Lifting one of the pieces of meat, Luffy chucked it at Eel for him to eat. After snatching it out of the air and chewing loudly several times, the beast laid its head down on the deck, hoping for head scratches. Leaning against the railing, Luffy ate his meat casually while scratching the Seaking near the dorsal fin, making the creature squirm with pleasure. Once he was done eating, Luffy patted his stomach with a contented sigh.

"That sure was a good meal!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Suddenly cannon fire sounded off the aft of the ship, and Eel was violently flung, ripping a large section of the railing away in the process. At the same time, two large splashes sounded on the opposite side of the ship.

"Eel!" Luffy yelled in concern, looking over the destroyed section of vessel. Laying chest up, Eel floated, bleeding into the sea, unmoving. Luffy felt his rage spike, but restrained his Conquerors, unwilling to accidentally harm someone. Instead, he shot into the air, using both Moonwalk and Shave simultaneously to seemingly teleport into the air above the cruise ship. Off in the distance, a hot pink, three masted ship had appeared, flying a Jolly Roger that consisted of a right turning skull with a pink heart in the middle over a pair of crossed bones.

Seeing his target, Luffy once again Razored to the pirate ship, not bothering to control his descent, causing him to crack the deck.

"WHERE IS YOUR CAPTAIN?!" Luffy bellowed in rage, small bolts of purple lightning shooting off him.

"Fuck off!" Yelled several riff-raff, pulling cutlasses from their belts.

Seeing this, Luffy gave up trying to leash his Haki and let it explode out of him, knocking out the pirates and breaking two of the ship's masts. His rage still not sated, Luffy began towards the hatch that lead below deck when a woman of immense height and girth jumped through it from below. Hefting a large, spiked club onto her shoulder, the woman gazed around at her unconscious crew and broken ship, a vein on her forehead steadily enlarging from her anger.

"Who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing to my crew?!" The woman demanded, spittle spraying from her mouth. "Koby, do you know who this is?!"

"No Miss Alvida," A small, pink haired boy responded from where he had been cowering behind her. "I've never seen a poster with his face before."

"Then you're useless!" Alvida yelled, raising her club to strike the boy down.

"Shave!"

Immediately Luffy was between the two, stopping the club with one hand. With a simple squeeze the weapon shattered like glass, leaving the woman holding a handle and nothing else.

"B-but That was solid iron…" Alvida mumbled, fear plain on her face. "How did you do that?!"

"I squeezed it, so it broke," Luffy explained simply, raising two closed fists to her face. "Six King Gun!"

A massive shockwave burst forth from the area between his fists, causing Alvida to ripple like a flag in the wind before shooting into the sky and out of sight. At the same time, the deck of the ship splintered and tossed planks of wood, pirate bodies, and even an entire mast, flying out in a half circle from the point of the impact. After another second, a loud crack ripped through the air and the ship began to sink.

"Oops, I might have went a little overboard," Luffy thought aloud, while bending down to grab the back of Koby's shirt. "Well let's get out of here before we die!"

With a powerful jump, Luffy began to run through the air once more, carrying the smaller teen under his right arm.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Koby cried in fear. "It's happening again!"

Luffy ignored the boy, much more worried about the condition of Eel. He felt bad leaving his pet when the Seaking might die, but he knew he couldn't really help tend to his wounds, and Eel was still in danger of being attacked by the pirates, so he made sure to stop them first. Finally landing back on the cruise ship, Luffy dropped the cabin boy on the deck and ran to check up on the monster. Looking over the railing, the pirate could see Eel bleeding from a wound on the lower left side of his face. With the attackers now dealt with, Luffy began to panic, not sure how to help his new aquatic friend.

"Chopper I need help!" Luffy cried, forgetting the reindeer wasn't around at the moment. "Wait, he's not here! Someone, anyone help!"

As he continued to shout for help, he realized the ship was beginning to leave the body of his pet behind, so he reached for his bangles when Eel began to stir. Slowly the Seaking raised his head out of the water, but wavered as though he was drunk.

"Come here boy, let me see it!" Luffy yelled, happy Eel seemed to be okay. Vaguely, the pirate could hear Koby screaming in the background, but paid it no mind for the moment. As he inspected the wound, Luffy could tell the cannonball had slammed into the beast's face and burned a line of scales just below the creature's eye. Somehow, Luffy could tell it would heal without any need for assistance, but it would end up scarring.

Luffy laughed in relief. "Shishishi, you'll be okay," He stated, scratching the beast near the dorsal fin once more. With an exhale of comfort, Eel fell asleep, partially on the cruise ship, an absolutely massive snot bubble growing from his nose. Patting the Seaking one last time, Luffy walked over to where Koby lay on the deck, foam trailing out of his mouth.

"Koby, wake up," Luffy called, poking the boy in the cheek repeatedly. "Koby, Koby, Koby, wake up Koby…"

Eventually, Koby began to stir, wiping drool from his cheek when he did so. The moment his eyes focused, however, the boy scurried away in fear, ending up against the wall.

"What do you want with me?" Koby asked, hugging his knees. "Are you gonna kill me?"

Luffy just stared at the boy flatly. "Are you an idiot?" He asked, still squatting on the floor.

"No?" Koby responded hesitantly, before throwing his hands up in horror. "Or yes! I can be either, just don't beat me!"

Upon seeing his reaction, Luffy frowned, his brow wrinkling. Noticing the change in demeanor, Koby instantly knelt before the pirate and began literally worshipping him. Sadness, and a bit of anger, surged through the rubber man, causing him to chop the younger teen on the top of his head, ceasing his bowing. Now thoroughly confused, Koby just sat on the floor and clutched his head, worried anything he did would incur the wrath of the man before him.

"Now listen to me Koby," Luffy began, his eyes boring holes into the boy's own. "You are a person, and you can do whatever, and go wherever you please, no one has the right to stop you."

Koby sat stunned at that statement. Even before he had the unfortunate accident of walking onto a pirate ship, everyone told him he was too weak to save anyone, and used him like a slave. That was why he went out fishing that fateful day, his 'guardians' forced him to go gather fish for dinner, while he was given a single, often rotten vegetable. Once he was on the Miss Love Duck, his life didn't improve, in fact it got much worse. In addition to having a multitude of unreasonable duties, he was beaten at least once, if not several times, a day. He thought his pitiful life was about to end with him being fed to this man's pet Seaking, a freaking pet _Seaking._ Now he didn't know what to think, was this some test to see if he would agree?

Closing his eyes in resolution, the teen asked a single question, one that would prove his fate.

"Do you think I could protect someone?"

At his question, Luffy's instinct was to laugh and tell him that would be impossible, at the moment. However, he could sense the turmoil within the boy's heart using his Observation, so spoke carefully. "If that is your dream, who am I to tell you otherwise?"

Koby sucked in a breath of surprise, and opened his eyes in shock and disbelief. "Really? You think it's possible?!"

"Your dream is easy, I know you can do it, you just need to put in a little work," Luffy said, placing his hand on the younger teen's shoulder. "I have a dream that people would say is impossible, but I won't be mad even if I die, as long as it's in pursuit of that dream."

"What's your dream?"

"Give me a moment, there is only one way to declare your dreams to the world," Luffy smiled, standing up and spreading his arms wide, as if challenging the universe. "I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

Koby's jaw dropped in disbelief, not comprehending how he could declare something so insane with such ease. Didn't he know about the Marines, the Warlords, the Emperors?! But, for some reason, he felt that this casually dressed teen could do it, he _wanted_ him to do it! He had this aura that he had never experienced from anyone before, a pressure that surrounded him, and it made him want to follow that feeling like a moth to light.

"So, what do you think of my dream?" Luffy asked teasingly, his trademark smile in full effect.

Koby looked him in the face, and, with the first sincere smile in months, gave the pirate a thumbs up. "I think it's awesome! I hope you succeed!"

"Thanks!" Luffy said, although he was slightly surprised by the response. "By the way, do you know where Shells Town is?"

"If you had a map I could find it, but do you not know how to navigate?" Koby questioned, dumbfounded that anyone on the sea wouldn't know how to.

"Nope, that's what I have Nami for," Luffy explained, as if it should be obvious.

"Who's Nami?" Koby asked, absently fiddling with the pink ascot he wore around his neck.

"My navigator, we're going to meet at Orange Town or Cocoyashi village," Luffy stated, leaning back against the railing so he could pet Eel again. "I need to pick up Zoro first though, he's my swordsman."

Koby's breath hitched the moment Luffy said Zoro. "You don't mean 'The Sword-less Samurai' do you? Roronoa Zoro?"

"That's the one! But I don't remember him being called 'Sword-less', that's a dumb thing to call a swordsman!" Luffy chuckled at the oxymoron.

Koby blushed at being told it was dumb. "I've just heard he uses his hands to slash through enemies, but I've also heard he is a Marine Captain, so I'm not sure how you're going to convince him to join you."

 **There we have it, now I understand why it's taken so long for everyone to get back together in the actual canon! But we'll be getting the band back together, at least somewhat, next chapter. Also, if you think Eel deserves a reprieve from Luffy's terrible naming sense, leave a review saying what the new one should be, or don't, it's up to you!**


	15. Red Witch, Blue Witch

**Yahoo! We've hit another milestone of 200 follows, thanks guys! On to the chapter!**

 **I don't own One Piece! Review Response at the bottom!**

 **Thanks to Kippysaurus for Betaing this chapter, and helping fix chapters one and two!**

 _ **Luffy's Side**_

" _I've also heard he is a Marine Captain, so I'm not sure how you're going to convince him to join you."_

"Zoro? A Marine?" Luffy laughed, causing the rosette to deepen his blush. "He'd never make it a day, that's why he's a pirate!"

"How do you even know where to meet him?" Koby asked, a puzzled look on his face. "Did you meet in a past life or something?"

"S-something like that…" Luffy lied obviously, his face turned to the side with his lips puckered.

Now it was Koby's turn to chuckle. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to!"

"Good," Luffy sighed in relief. "So what are you going to do, now that you're free?"

"Well," Koby paused, thinking. "I've always wanted to join the Marines, you know, to save people, for my dream!"

Luffy could hear the unsaid 'but'. "Do you want to do something else now?"

For awhile Koby seemed conflicted, and using Observation confirmed that speculation. It felt like two opposing ideologies were fighting for dominance inside him, until one finally overcame the other, pushing the losing idea into the teen's subconscious.

"Looks like you made a decision," Luffy said, smiling.

"How did you know?!" Koby demanded, unnerved the goofy teen had read him so easily.

Luffy simply shrugged, still grinning at the boy. Understanding the teen wouldn't explain, Koby took a deep breath, before staring at the man in front of him with the utmost commitment. "Train me to be strong like you are!" The pink haired teen exclaimed, balling his hands into fists. "...please…"

"Okay," Luffy answered easily, causing the teen to almost fall over from the casual response.

"Really, just like that?" Koby asked, astonishment clear on his face. "You're not even going to ask why I want to?"

"Nope!" Luffy responded, before becoming solemn. "But I am a pirate, so that means, if I help you get stronger, you'll be a pirate too. So don't complain if we have to run from the Marines!"

Koby's expression didn't change, his mind already made up. "As long as I can protect those I want to, I don't care what I have to do!"

"Then the first step is to strengthen your will!" Luffy proclaimed, a dark purple bolt of lightning shooting from his forehead towards the younger teen.

Immediately, Koby dropped to his hands and knees, sweat beginning to pour from his face.

"What is this?" Koby panted, his underused and malnourished muscles trembling from the effort to keep him from being smashed into the floor. "It feels like I'm carrying the world!"

"Stand up," Luffy commanded, his normally carefree expression replaced with the passive forcefulness of a drill instructor.

"What? That's imposs-"

"It isn't," Luffy interrupted the boy's negative statement. "Show me the dedication to your dream that you showed earlier!"

Instantly, Koby saw a smiling female face flash through his mind. The next, a cutlass impaled through a feminine chest, blood staining the pure cotton of the dress that the figure wore a deep crimson. Finally, a male silhouette obscured by tears accompanied with the sound of cruel laughter. "Anuhuhuhuhu!"

Scraping ruts into the floor of the deck, Koby gripped his fingers back into fists, ripping off a nail in the process. Gritting his teeth, the teen let out a feral grunt, before straightening his legs and arms. As the boy fought against the unseen weight, Luffy's brow wrinkled in concentration, almost seeming in pain, but contrasted by the impressed grin on his face. With another yell of rage, Koby forced his body into a standing position, his arms raised above shoulder height. The moment the teen's body became perpendicular to the ground, Luffy released the pressure, letting out a breath of effort in the process. Koby, feeling the weight released, let his body sag to the ground, his adrenaline-fueled strength leaving him just as fast as it had come.

Lifting his face so it wasn't squished into the floor, Koby looked up at Luffy expectantly. "Did I do it?"

"Yep!" Luffy chirped happily, impressed by the teen's will. "You see Eel here?"

"Yeah, what about him?" Koby asked, his eyes flicking to the sleeping form of the Seaking for a moment.

"The amount of pressure I just used on you was three times the amount it took to tame this guy," Luffy grinned, patting the monster's head.

"Really?" The pinkette questioned, disbelief shining out from his eyes. "Absolutely impossible, there's no wa-"

Luffy punched the teen on the top of his head. "Fist of Love!" The pirate yelled, imitating his grandfather.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Koby demanded, grabbing the bump on his head.

"Don't demean yourself!" Luffy yelled, still copying Garp. "Enough people will do that for you!"

Still clutching his bump, Koby stared at the rubber-man, memories once more drawn to the forefront of his mind.

 _ **Flashback**_

An even smaller Koby crouched, trailing his finger in the dirt, crying. Next to him a girl, barely into her teens, crouched behind him, while patting the boy on the back soothingly.

"Did you get beat up again?" She asked, frowning.

"...Yes," Koby managed to say through his sobs.

"What happened this time?"

"Tim and his friends captured a rabbit and kept stabbing it with sticks! I tried to stop them but…" Remembering the events just caused the boy to begin crying even harder. "I can't protect anything, I'm way too weak!" He moaned, his tears slowly turning the dirt into mud.

'Bonk'

"Don't talk like that!" The girl reprimanded, shaking her forefinger at the boy. "Who's going to believe in you if you won't even believe in yourself?!"

Shocked by the sudden, passionate outburst, Koby stopped crying, simply staring wide-eyed at the the girl.

"Now, I made some cookies, but I won't have you getting snot on my hard work," the girl declared, hands on her hips. "So are you going to stop crying, and believe in yourself?!"

Wiping his eyes on the bottom of his shirt, Koby looked back up at the girl, trying to appear manly. "Yes, Sis!"

"Good! Now come inside and wash up!"

 _ **Flashback End**_

For a moment, his sister's smiling face was superimposed over Luffy's in his mind. Grinning up at the man who had come into his life like a whirlwind, Koby closed his eyes. "That was exhausting, so I'm going to take a nap."

"Shishishi, okay," Luffy laughed, matching his new crewmate's smile with one of his own.

Koby's eyes shot open, a look of realization dawning on him. "I forgot to ask, but what is your name? I feel like I should know it…"

"Oh, it's Monkey D. Luffy!" The rubber-man responded offhandedly. "I'm going to go look around the ship while you rest."

"Alright, Captain!" Koby stated, for once not using the word like a curse.

Leaving his new(or old depending on how you looked at it) friends to their well deserved rest, Luffy strolled along the ship, wondering why no one had come running when the pirates had attacked, or when he had been yelling for help. "Eh, it must be a mystery mystery!" The pirate mumbled to himself, moving on from such trivial things, to much more important matters, like where the kitchen was located.

As the rubber-man wandered the vessel, he was surprised at how empty it felt, almost like a ghost ship. Chuckling to himself, Luffy thought about how, if they were here, Robin would make a morbid comment, and Usopp would freak out in response. With a sudden pang of loneliness, Luffy redoubled his search for the kitchen, hoping meat would take his mind off the sad feelings. Upon turning the next corner, the teen came upon the unconscious forms of the crew of the ship, strewn about the corridor.

Shocked, and a little angry, Luffy ran to the closest sailor and began shaking him. "Hey, what happened here, Uncle?"

Slowly, the man sat up and clutched at a lump protruding from his head. "Huh, who are you, kid?"

"Luffy, future King of the Pirates, why does it matter?"

The sailor stared at Luffy for a few moments, uncomprehending, before assuming he must have misheard due to his concussion. "Two women were stealing from the passenger's rooms, and, when we told them to stop, they proceeded to beat the crap out of all of us."

"Wow, they must be pretty strong," Luffy stated thoughtfully. "Where did they go, Uncle?"

"Down that way, but they're probably long gone by now," the older man stated, pointing further down the hallway. "And stop calling me Uncle, I'm only in my thirties, ya know?!"

"Sorry," Luffy laughed unapologetically. "I'll go get the stuff back, since your captain fed me."

Not waiting for a response, the teen followed the sailor's directions, making sure not to step on the bodies that laid everywhere. Extending his Observation, Luffy tried to sense where the thieves had gone. After careful examination, the pirate once again barely sensed the pair of repressed auras, now located on the main deck. As he began towards their direction, Luffy realized they were untying a lifeboat in order to escape.

"Nope!" He said to himself. "Shave!"

In an instant, Luffy was back on the main deck, behind the pair. Kicking his leg upwards, the pirate sent a wind blade speeding between the duo, only able to register bright red and blue hair cascading down their backs. "Tempest Kick!"

They each jumped to the side, dodging the attack with ease, allowing the air slash to cut the lifeboat in half.

"CP9?!" The red headed one exclaimed in confusion, pulling a wooden staff from...somewhere. Seriously, where do these characters keep pulling things from? Eh, mystery place...

"I thought you said they were in the Grand Line!" The other woman yelled, wielding a curved dagger in a reverse grip.

As Luffy met the red haired thief's eyes, they both recoiled in surprise.

"Luffy?!"

"Nami?!"

The crewmates stood frozen, confusion, disbelief, and happiness coloring their faces. After a moment, Luffy broke the staring contest by running and hugging his navigator, elated to be back with one of his crew members. After the brief embrace, a vein on Nami's head bulged, and she punched her captain on the head, slightly surprised when it felt solid, instead of rubbery. "Don't attack people randomly, idiot!"

Ignoring the head injury, Luffy simply grinned back at Nami. "What are you doing here, I thought we would meet where we did the first time?"

"Do you know how lucky it was that you ran into me when you did the first time? How did you believe it would be so easy to meet up again?" Nami demanded, already feeling her blood pressure begin to rise.

"Well it was, right?" Luffy asked, picking his nose with a teasing grin. "I've already found you."

"That, but, argh!" The navigator sputtered, before contenting herself with making a strangling motion in her captain's direction. (That sums up my life)

"Wait a second!" The blue haired woman interjected, throwing a hand between the pirates. "What's going on, who is this?!"

"Luffy, future King of the Pirates, who are you?" Luffy rebutted easily.

"This is Nojiko, don't you remember her?" Nami stated, an annoyed look on her face.

Luffy just stared at his navigator with no sense of recollection. Nami's hand met her face in exasperation.

"Since my Captain is an idiot, I guess I have to do the introductions. Luffy, this is my sister Nojiko. Nojiko, this my captain and friend, Luffy." The thief explained with a sigh.

"Are you sure?" Nojiko asked skeptically, looking the scrawny teen up and down. "Sure he's pretty ripped, but isn't he a little...small?"

"Don't underestimate someone by their looks," Nami smirked, tapping the side of her head. "On the Grand Line, the strong ones are almost always weirdos."

On the Grand Line, Franky, Brook, and Chopper all sneezed violently.

Nojiko didn't look convinced, but simply shrugged. "If you say so, but after the stories you told, I imagined he would be huge."

"Just wait, once you see him fight, you won't have any doubts," Nami advised, turning back to her captain. "How did you get here, and _why_ did you attack us?!"

"Well the captain of this ship gave me food, and I found some of the crew beaten up," Luffy explained, his smile dimming slightly. "By the way, do you have all the stuff you stole?"

"Yes, it's right over…" The navigator turned back towards the lifeboat, only to realize it had been cut in half. "You idiot!" She yelled, hitting Luffy for the second time in as many minutes. "All those precious babies, gone forever…"

Nami slumped down in despair at losing such a haul, holding her head in her hands. Nojiko sighed at her sister's dramatics, before walking next her and resting a consoling hand on the navigator's shoulder.

Confused, Luffy cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong?"

"The items were in a sack that was in the lifeboat, that _you_ cut." Nojiko said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed, smacking his fist into his palm. "That's no big deal, Eel!"

The teen stood still, waiting, while the sisters watched him expectantly. After nothing happened, Luffy gained a look of irritation as he cupped his hands around his mouth and took a deep breath. "EEL, COME HERE!" He shouted, releasing a bit of Conquerors for good measure.

Not a minute after, the Seaking rose out of the sea next to the ship. Instantly, Nami and Nojiko sprung into offensive stances, brandishing their weapons. Eel, for his part, simply ignored the other humans, hoping for food or scratches from his master. Luffy, seeing the beast finally appear, ran up to him with arms spread. The monster bowed down, nuzzling the young pirate, while he giggled at the affection.

"Okay, statement retracted," Nojiko floundered, her hand resting on the hilt if her dagger. "Anyone who has a pet sea monster must be one themselves."

Upon realizing there was no danger from the beast, Nami returned to drawing circles with her finger on the deck in depression. "5 million, gone, just like that…"

"Okay boy, I need you to go find the sparkly stuff in a bag that's underwater, it should smell like these two." Luffy told Eel, pointing back at the siblings.

The Seaking stared at the teen for a few moments, before appearing to nod in understanding. Leaning its face over to Nojiko, it took a deep inhale of her scent, repeating the process with Nami, who completely ignored the creature. With the smells acquired, Eel then turned back to the sea and submerged himself once more.

With the beast gone, Nojiko walked over to Luffy with a confused expression. "So, do you make random noises at sea life a lot?"

"Huh?" Luffy questioned, returning her look of confusion with his own.

"Right now, you were just making a bunch of random noises, then your…pet left," the bluette explained tersely.

"Do your ears work? I heard from Chopper that not everyone can hear as good as I can," Luffy responded, pity coloring his voice.

"I can hear fine! I think you're the one with listening problems!" Nojiko exclaimed, clenching her hand into a fist. "I just want to know why you made-"

Interrupting Nojiko's outburst, Eel arose out of the sea once more, drenching everyone. With a metallic clank, the beast dropped a burlap sack on the deck at Luffy's feet. Bending, the teen picked up the sack and examined it contents, finding a bunch of jewelry, soggy bills, and coins. Seeing his master smile, Eel squirmed happily, staring at Nojiko with a hungry look.

"I'm not a snack, Unadon*!" Nojiko yelled at the Seaking in anger.

Crying, Eel turned back into Luffy's arms, letting him pet the Seaking soothingly.

"No one's going to eat you, but you need to remember that people are friends, not food," Luffy said calmingly, scratching by his dorsal fin once more. "At least, most of the time."

Nami, hearing the jingle of gold, raised her head, looking for the source of the sound. Seeing the bag of stolen goods, she rushed forward and grasped it to her chest, as if cradling a baby. "Oh my sweets, you've returned to Mama, haven't you? Who's good treasure? You are! Yes, you are!"

After continuing in this vein of baby talk for several minutes, Nami finally looked back at her fellow humans, discovering that they, as well as Eel, were watching her with looks of morbid curiosity.

"What? A woman can't praise her gold in public anymore?!" Nami demanded, pink lightly coloring her cheeks.

"Next time, please wait until you're alone to do that," Nojiko pleaded, a scarred look on her face. "No one wants to see your Public Displays of Avarice."

"I don't know what I just saw, but I think I need to have a talk with Chopper," Luffy stated, staring hollowly at his navigator.

"Bwaa!" Eel proclaimed, nodding as if to say 'ditto'.

 ***Unadon is a Japanese eel dish, just so you don't have to go look it up!**

 **So we've gotten our first new member (one of my favorite fanfics is Coby's Choice, so there was no way he wasn't joining. Also I really thought he was going to join the first time I read One Piece...so yeah), and our first original back!**

 **Review Response:**

 **ProNuked:** _Nice chapter dude, can't wait for the next one._

 **A: Thanks, hope you like this one too!**

 **Bloody Rogue dragon deity king:** _Hey maybe this time instead of letting the lightning fruit Escape their grasp, Luffy can actually obtained it by getting rid of the jerk off who has it in the first place._

 **A: Oh trust me I have plans for the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and Eneru/Enel is definitely going to get what's coming to him!**

 **Matt:** _I don't know how to make an account. Also nice work with this chapter. Wonder what Nami's idea is? Also still feeling sad for our favorite liar._

 **A: There should be a Sign Up button in the top right corner, then you just make an account(if you're on desktop). Thanks for the compliment, and Nami's going to have fun with Jinbei as back up! Yeah I did kinda screw Usopp over huh? Oh well, it's all in the name of the Almighty Plot-Sama!**

 **bloody dragon fang:** _Well this was an even larger surprise, more so it got me thinking that maybe this time around that things may be better. Tell the truth a small idea was around whisky peak and after they defeat Mr. 5 & Ms. Valentines, they use some sea prism cuffs they have and capture Ms. Valentines while Mr. 5 tries to do something stupid. A few minutes after they leave the strawhat pirates are in a mist where they run into some weird people on a galleon, the leader of the group makes a trade of 2 devil fruits in exchange for ms. Valentines._

 **A: Well** _ **their**_ **plan is for things to be better, but for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, right? As for that idea, I like it, however I do have a bit of an outline for the story, but it is an interesting idea at the very least.**

 **Buterflypuss** **:** _good chap_

 **A: Thanks!**

 **125b:** _Just reading this waiting for them to get together again_

 **A: I'm not sure if you mean in my story, or in canon, but at least we have Nami again, right?...Right?**

 **Sehri:** _Zoro, a Marine Captain ? Something is very wrong here..._

 _But nice chapter, thanks :)_

 **A: Well, I do** _ **try**_ **to be original, but I'm glad you liked it!**

 **Selet:** _Did Zorn get lost so badly he somehow ended up joining the Marines on accident, or did he join to be sure he was at shells town?_

 **A: Or was he a double agent the whole time?! Dun dun dun! Just kidding, but we shall find out soon!**

 **TheNightMist:** _Name suggestion - Krishna: means "black, dark" in Sanskrit. Or at least that is what I read on the internet._

 **A: I appreciate the suggestion! Should I just create a poll to see if I should change it? Let me know!**

 **bloody dragon fang:** _ **very nice**_

 **A: Thanks!**

 **Bloody Rogue dragon deity king:** _Well now things are gaining there pace again_

 **A: Yep! Things should begin to speed up once again!**

 **Matt:** _Yeah, another chapter! Although I think my eyes are going wacky since I remember reading that Zoro's now a Marine Captain, bet Luffy will have a conniption. Also yes I do for the name, though I can't think of a good name. Also two things_ _1\. Are the bangles on his arms made of sea stone? 2. I actually think its Coby with a C, but scemantics._

 **A: Glad you liked it, and no your eyes are working fine, that is what Koby said! And you're the second to say the name should change, thanks for the input!**

 **Hopefully Nami's reaction in this chapter helped answer this question**

 **Yeah it was always translated that way, but in one of the recent chapters, 906 I think, it was shown that his romanized name is with a 'K'. *shrugs* I appreciate the looking out though!**

 **Buterflypuss:** _good chap_

 **A: Double thanks!**

 **Kippysaurus:** _Hey! If you don't have a beta yet I would be happy to help! I don't think they are too bad, but I'll look over them anyway if you need it_

 **A: Shout out for the assistance! And helping me fix the older chapters!**

 **Fish of Knowledge:** _I like that you kept Eel, I like that name, you should keep it._

 _I'm normally not a big fan of these types of stories, but I've made it this far, I will be honest, not a big fan of your direction with luffy, but it's your story so I will keep reading. The rest of the street's I'm enjoying._

 _I don't want to sound annoying, but reminder; Luffy has the voice of all things. I don't want to tell you how to write your story, but it is something I never see brought up in these types of stories, so I think people forget._

 _You seem to have this planned out, so I'll look forward to more updates._

 **A: So it is 1 for Eel and 2 against! Thanks! I'm honored that you still read it even though you usually don't! What exactly don't you like about my direction with Luffy, I really like hearing dissenting opinions and I'm glad that you like the rest of them. As for the voice of all things, I think you will like the end of this chapter then! I look forward to more reviews like this, I love it when people give me a lot of feedback!**

 **Review Response end.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and especially to Kippysaurus! Still let me know if you want a new name for Eel, and suggestions for said name, if I don't see a lot of care either way, I'll probably keep it as Eel for simplicity reasons. Lastly, Happy Holidays for everyone who celebrates them, just incase I don't have another chapter out before Christmas!**


	16. Moss and Straw

**Hey guys, finally back with a new chapter! And you guys thought Goda took forever to release a chapter!**

 **Anyways sorry it took so long, but I got sick** _ **again**_ **(curse my weak immune system!) and I got caught up in all the normal holiday stuff!**

 **In other news, we have hit over 100 comments and over 150 favorites! Thanks guys, I love the encouragement! :D**

 **Lastly, as we all already know, I don't own One Piece, so on to the chapter!**

 **P.S. Shoutout to Kippysaurus for Betaing this chapter too!**

 _ **East Blue, Polestar Islands: 1 year ago**_

"I'm honored that I was chosen as part of the reconstruction, but isn't it a little excessive to post me in the weakest sea?" A burly, white haired man questioned, chewing on his pair of cigars.

"The Fleet Admiral wants to prevent new pirates from gaining access to the Grand Line," A tall, lanky man with an eye mask on his forehead explained, yawning. "Plus, this is your hometown, right?"

"No, why does everyone think that? Anyways, it seemed like he knew something we didn't," The Marine stated, exhaling a massive amount of smoke. "You felt it too, right?"

"Nope," the other man responded, lowering his mask so it covered his eyes. "I'm going to rest my eyes really quick, so just let me know if you need anything."

"Don't you mean, so you don't have to do any paperwork?" The white haired man grumbled to himself.

"Zzzz."

Before the officer had a chance to complain to himself further, a demure knock sounded on his office door. Looking up from the piles of papers that surrounded him, the man commanded. "Come in, soldier!"

Opening the door in a hesitant manner, a average sized woman with black, shoulder length hair, wearing red glasses, light purple jeans, a yellow shirt decorated with pink flowers, and a purple jacket trimmed in white fur, entered the room. Gripped in her right hand was a stack of papers, and, in her left hand, she carried a katana with a shuriken-like shape for a cross guard clutched to her chest. "Sorry to bother you, Admiral."

The white haired man waved his hand dismissively, causing smoke to swirl around the room. "It's fine Tashigi, what did you need?"

"I…" The woman paused looking slightly unsure of how to ask her question.

"I'm not going to kill you, spit it out!" The man urged, becoming slightly irritated.

"I would like to be transferred to a different base," Tashigi exclaimed, bowing. "And I would like to thank you for your guidance thus far!"

"Where did you want to be transferred?" the man asked, surprised, and, deep down, a little saddened.

"The 153rd Branch, Shells Town."

 _ **Luffy, Nami, Nojiko, and Eel Side**_

"Nami, let the bag go."

"Don't wanna!"

"Nami…"

"No!"

"I didn't want to do this, but Captain's Orders, give up the treasure!" Luffy declared, holding out his hand.

"But-"

"No buts, I promised I'd get their passengers' stuff back," the pirate denied, shaking his head.

"Can I at least keep one piece?" Nami pouted, crocodile tears pooling in her eyes as she handed the sack over.

"Aren't you a pirate? Why would you promise something like that?" Nojiko interrupted, a flabbergasted look on her face.

"I already told you," Luffy whined childishly. "The Captain gave me food."

"That's it?!" The bluette exclaimed, her eyes bulging.

"Of course it was," Nami sighed, rubbing her forehead in order to ease her stress.

Suddenly, Luffy's face became serious. "Nami, take your sister, get on Eel and start heading to Shell's Town." He commanded, gesturing for Eel to lower his head.

"What, why?" The navigator asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Marines, and unless you want me to get my first bounty now..." Luffy stated, a joking smile flashing on his face.

"Going!" Nami called, hopping onto Eel's head, followed quickly by Nojiko. "And we need to have another talk about your naming sense!"

"Oh, and here!" The Captain called, throwing the siblings each a piece of jewelry as they left.

With his crew mate and her sister safely on their way, Luffy Shaved back into the bowels of the ship. Appearing in front of the sailor from earlier, the rubber-man placed the bag of wealth on the floor.

"Here you go, Uncle!" Luffy laughed, fixing his hat. "I didn't get everything, but this is most of it, and tell your Captain 'thanks for the meal'!"

Once more, the teen left without a response, leaving the few conscious seamen staring at the bag of stolen goods, and where the strange young man had vanished. Back on the opposite side of the main deck, Luffy found Koby still asleep on the floor. Reaching down, the Captain grabbed a wad of Koby's shirt and jumped into the air. Using Moonwalk yet again, the rubber-man made his way back towards Eel's location, vaguely sensing the Marine vessel pulling alongside the cruise ship behind them.

It was at this point that Koby decided to wake up and begin screaming and flailing.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhh!" The rosette squealed, twisting and turning in Luffy's grasp.

"Koby, calm down, I have you!" The Captain soothed, to no avail. I'd like to see you wake up, staring down at empty ocean!

Eventually, the teen realized he wasn't falling, and went limp, hoping that would make it easier to be carried. A few minutes later, Luffy finally caught up with Eel, making sure to land on his head softly.

"About time," Nami quipped, before noticing the small teen that her Captain was carrying. "Who's that?"

"This is our new cabin boy, Koby!" Luffy explained, dropping the teen.

"Cabin boy?!" Koby exclaimed, hugging his knees in despair. "I guess that's all I'm good for anyways…"

"Fist of Love!" The Captain yelled, grinning. "Now I see why Gramps did this, it's kinda fun!"

"Can you not?!" The newly dubbed cabin boy asked, clutching his head.

"Just dodge!" Luffy laughed.

"Stop beating up children!" Nami yelled, punching her Captain over the head in turn. "And did you say crew mate?!"

"Shishishi, yup, he wants me to help him get stronger," Luffy chuckled, rubbing a finger under his nose.

"He just does whatever he wants, huh?" Nojiko asked, staring flatly at the rubber-man.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Bwa."

"Even you, Eel?!"

 _ **East Blue, off the coast of Yotsuba Island**_

"Okay, we're nearing Shells Town," Nami stated, holding onto Eel's dorsal fin. "We can't just ride...Eel, which is a terrible name by the way, straight into the port, it'll cause a panic."

"Unless you can come up with a name Eel likes better, I don't wanna hear it," Luffy rebutted, lightly patting the beast. "And I can just carry all of you while Moonwalking."

"That's the best idea you have?"

"Yup, you know I don't do plans."

"True, and I don't have a better idea, anyone else?" Nami asked, looking to the other two passengers.

"Couldn't we just go to one of the unpopulated parts of the shore and just walk back to the town after getting dropped off?" Koby asked with a raised hand.

Nami just stared at the boy for a moment, before gripping him in a hug. "Thank Umi, you're not another idiot!"

The only woman Koby had been around for the past year was Alvida, so understandably for a teen boy(who wasn't Luffy), he simply froze, his face flushing a deep crimson. Upon releasing him, Nami noticed this and smirked. "Did you like that?" She asked seductively, biting her forefinger.

After living with pirates for over a year, Koby had gained a keen sense of danger, and right now it was screaming at him to run _far_ away. "N-no?"

At his response, Nojiko began to laugh, slapping a hand on Nami's shoulder. "He really _is_ a smart one, hahaha!

Suddenly, sounds of panic assaulted the group, causing them to turn back to Luffy, who was absently watching as Eel casually swam into the port of Shells Town. Seeing the Seaking, the gathered fishermen dropped their poles and began running into town, screaming for help.

"Why didn't you tell your pet to stop?!" Nami, Nojiko, and even Koby demanded in disbelief.

"You didn't tell me to," Luffy responded simply, shrugging his shoulders in indifference. "So I figured this was fine, and Eel _really_ wanted some fish."

"Bwa!" The Seaking exclaimed happily, eating the fisherman's catches, buckets and all.

"No-Na-Ko Judgement!" The three yelled, punching the rubber-man over the head as one, slamming Luffy against Eel's crown.

"Ow!" Luffy pouted, rubbing his head. "That actually hurt!"

"Bwa!" Eel cried, tears pooling in his eyes.

"You both deserved it!" Nami said unapologetically. "Anyways, I guess what's done is done, so let's just go get our First Mate!"

Jumping off the beast, Nami landed easily on the pier, readying her Clima-Tact out of habit. Turning, the navigator looked up to the rest of her companions, smirking. "Let's go, slowpokes!"

Moments after, Luffy hopped off as well, his bottom lip sticking out. "The Captain is always supposed to disembark first!" The rubber-man complained, setting Koby on the deck.

"That's not true, usually the lowest members go first, in case of danger," Koby corrected, as if from personal experience.

"Then how would they keep their crew safe?" Luffy asked, his head cocked to the side.

Nojiko and Koby both gave the man quizzical looks, while Nami just smiled at his response. With everyone now on land, Luffy turned back to Eel, his 'Captain' face on.

"I need you to go and keep hidden while we're on the island, but close enough that you'll be able to hear me when I call, okay?" The pirate instructed, staring into his pet's eyes.

Nodding, the Seaking quickly nuzzled Luffy, before diving underwater.

"Good boy," the teen called, his typical grin back in place.

With that taken care of, Luffy immediately faced Koby and hopped on the smaller teen's shoulders.

"Wha?!" Koby exclaimed, his legs almost buckling from the unexpected weight. "Get off!"

"You wanted to get stronger, right?" Luffy asked, ignoring the demand. "This is how you do it."

"That's too much, start with something easier!"

Hearing Nami's statement, multitudes of negative thoughts ran through Koby's mind. _Weakling. Loser. Good for nothing. Coward._ Gritting his teeth, the cabin boy straightened his back, shifting Luffy's weight into a more comfortable position. "No, I can do it!" Koby exclaimed, beginning to walk into town, each step an obvious struggle.

Watching the teen slowly march, Nojiko leaned over to her sister. "Isn't this, I don't know, child abuse?"

"Normally, I'd say yes, but everyone who follows him ends up being a monster, and that's probably how he was trained, so...no?" Nami stated, throwing up her hands. "Why don't you pray on it?"

"You and I both know that's not how it works."

"Do we?"

"Come on guys!" Luffy called, waving an arm energetically. "We gotta go get Zoro!"

 _ **Zoro's Side**_

"Captain! Captain, we have a rogue Seaking attack!" A Marine grunt shouted, fear plain on his face.

"Lower the volume, I already know," the green haired swordsman grumbled, rising from the plain cot he had been napping on. "Make sure no one else gets close, or their lives are forfeit."

"Yes, sir!" The Marine shouted, snapping into a salute, unnerved by the bloodlust emanating from his superior.

As he watched the Chore Boy leave, Zoro gripped Wado Ichimonji, a demonic gleam in his eye. "Is it finally time to set sail once more?"

 _ **Luffy, Nami, Nojiko, Koby Side**_

As the quartet walked(and Luffy rode) through the the streets of Shells Town, they were shocked how the previously bustling city had emptied so quickly, leaving the streets bare, except the occasional tumbleweed.

"I don't think those could exist in this climate…" Nami wondered, eyeing one of the dried plants with suspicion.

"It's just to set the scene," Nojiko joked, bumping her sister's shoulder. "Like those stories Mom used to tell us about the West Blue."

"I. Don't. Like. This." Koby said between breaths, his whole body quivering from the exercise.

"Don't worry so much!" Luffy chuckled, before his grin widened considerably, his Observation picking up a familiar aura.

Silhouetted by the sun, a man stood in the middle of the street, his coat blowing in the breeze. After a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the glare, the time travelers instantly recognized the bright green hair while the other members recognized the three swords at his waist. Either way, there was no doubt this man was Roronoa Zoro. The only thing that threw doubt on this conclusion, however, was the, very obviously, Marine attire he wore.

On his chest he wore a white collared shirt with a blue ascot tied around his neck and his dark green bandana on his left bicep. Appropriately navy blue slacks covered his legs, the bottoms stuffed into the plain black boots on his feet. Hanging from his shoulders, a Marine coat with the kanji for 'Justice' covered his back like a cape.

Seeing his First Mate, Luffy jumped off of Koby's shoulders, much to the latter's relief. Narrowing his eyes, Luffy took in Zoro's outfit, his brow crinkling in confusion. "Why do you look like Gramps?"

"I'm a Marine, obviously I have to adhere to the dress code," Zoro explained dryly, his eyes passing over the forms of Koby, Nojiko, and finally Nami, who he nodded to. "Witch."

"Debtor." Nami responded with a smirk, momentarily breaking the swordsman's facade of indifference, replacing it with annoyance.

"Yeah, but _why_ are you a Marine?" Luffy questioned, his grin faulting slightly.

"That's not important at the moment, what are _you_ doing here?" The swordsman responded, his eyes boring into Luffy's.

"What do you mean?" The rubber-man asked, his smile gone, replaced with a thin line. "Let's set sail again, Zoro!"

"And those two?" Zoro pointed at Koby and Nojiko without breaking eye contact with Luffy.

"The small one is Koby, _our_ new cabin boy, his dream is to save people, as for Nojiko…" Luffy shrugged, not really sure why she had tagged along with Nami. "She might join too, I haven't decided yet."

"Don't I get a say in that?!" Nojiko shouted, waving her fist in the background.

She was ignored.

"So you're going to bring a couple of weaklings along...for what? As meat shields?" Zoro scoffed, casting his withering gaze to the extra members for a moment, before returning to his Captain's. "I thought we were supposed to get stronger, not burden ourselves with dead weight."

Upon hearing his brutal honesty, Koby crumpled to the ground, his exhaustion coupled with the blow to the minuscule amount of confidence he had gained in the past hours, weakening his legs past their limit. Catching his breath, the cabin boy muttered darkly to himself. "Who did you think you were? Trash. Useless. Weak-willed. Don't delude yourself."

Nojiko, for her part, simply brushed off his insults, resting her hand on the plain dagger she had sheathed through her belt. Slowly, however, she positioned herself next to the cowering cabin boy, just in case. "I thought you were one of the most loyal, why are you acting like a huge dick all of a sudden?"

Zoro ignored the question, still staring at his Captain, waiting for an answer. "Are you sure you're ready to take responsibility for their lives?"

"Yes." Luffy stated with the certainty that another might say the sun will rise.

"Then prove it!" The swordsman yelled, suddenly dashing towards his Captain, pulling both of his arms above his right shoulder as they became coated with black. "Swordless Style: 72 Pound Cannon!"

As the whirling ball of wind sped towards him, Luffy thrust a single, Haki coated finger at his First Mate, sending his own ranged attack speeding to intercept. "Flying Finger Pistol!"

As the two techniques collided, they cancelled each other out, sending smaller wind blades shooting from the epicenter, digging small ruts in the ground and surrounding buildings. Undeterred, Zoro kept charging, cocking his hand for another attack. Now scowling, Luffy rushed to meet the swordsman, his limbs pulled back in preparation as well.

"Why are you doing this?!" Luffy demanded, as his arms darkened once more. "Fist Cannon!" Using the same technique of the finger pistol, except with his whole hand, Luffy punched at his First Mate.

"I'm a Marine, we hunt pirates!" Zoro explained, his limbs darkening. "Dragon Shock!" With his right hand pushing down and supporting his left from the top, the swordsman slashed down at his captain.

When the two attacks collided, it seemed as though time slowed before doubling in speed, with the techniques reverberating through both of the combatants' bodies. A second later, a shockwave exploded behind Zoro, causing a building to collapse. At the same time, a wind blade flew from Luffy's back, speeding dangerously towards Nojiko and Koby.

"Crap!" Luffy exclaimed, knowing he wouldn't be fast enough to intercept.

Noticing the unintended collateral from the clash heading her way, instead of dodging, Nojiko unsheathed her dagger and stood ready. Just before the blade reached her, Nojiko's outline flared aqua and she lashed out with her weapon, parting the slash around her, causing two deep trenches on either side of the bluette.

With the danger passed, Nojiko turned and roughly shook the oblivious form of Koby. "We need to get out of here, or we're going to die!"

Nami, for her part, had been simply rooted in place, a multitude of emotions running through her mind. Relief that her crewmate still had his memories, anger about how he had spoken about her sister, confusion as to why he was attacking Luffy, and a tiny part of her that agreed about not needing more crew members. Finally, she was pulled from the roiling thoughts by the wind blade that had almost bisected her sister. Gripping her Clima-Tact in a vice grip, Nami dashed over to her sibling, covering the bluette as she tried to rouse the cabin boy, ready to Tornado Sword any rogue wind blades.

Struggling against one another, Luffy and Zoro were locked in a contest of strength, one seeming to gain an advantage before losing ground and repeating the cycle.

"Dammit, Zoro! What is wrong with you? You know you're not a Marine, you belong with us!" Luffy panted, pushing Zoro back for a moment.

"I'm tired of sacrificing my dream for you, Luffy! Plus, I have made a good life here over two years!" The swordsman exclaimed, steadily pushing back against his Captain. "So unless you can prove you're strong enough to do your duties as a Captain, I'm going to stay here and you can go on without me! Tashigi, now!"

Hearing the call from the roof of a nearby building, the swordswoman fell into a brutal downward slash, bashing into Nojiko's head...or rather, she would have, if Luffy didn't block the attack with two, crossed, Haki infused arms. Forewarned by his Observation, Luffy had released a massive bolt of purple lightning at the swordsman, allowing the rubber-man to briefly overwhelm Zoro, kicking him away. No longer burdened by Zoro, Luffy had the time to Shave in front of Nojiko, protecting and knocking her over. Nami whirled in surprise, never expecting an attack from that direction.

As he pushed Tashigi away, Luffy turned to look at Nojiko's downed form, anger filling his features, but not directed at her. "Take Koby and get back to the docks, you're in the way."

Looking up at him from the ground, Nojiko no longer saw the goofy kid from before, instead she could feel the power of a rampaging beast, barely restrained by its handler. In that moment, Nojiko didn't even consider disobeying his order, her body almost seeming to move of its own accord. Standing quickly, she grabbed the cabin boy, forcing him to his feet, looping one of his arms over her neck to make it easier.

With his friends out of harm's way, Luffy set his sights back on his First Mate. Pulling himself up from the rumble he had been kicked into, Zoro dusted himself off, clearly uninjured.

"Nami!" Luffy called, still zeroed in on his target. "Make sure that one," the teen pointed his thumb at the disheveled form of Tashigi. "Doesn't get in the way, either."

A cruel grin flashed onto the redheads face as she looked forward to punishing the woman who attacked her sister. "Aye-aye, Captain!"

"I don't know why you're using CP9's techniques and not your usual ones…" Zoro stated, unsheathing his blades and placing Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. "But I would suggest you don't hold back."

As Luffy walked towards his crewmate, stretching his arms in anticipation for their battle, a taunting grin split his face. "You're the one who wants to do this, so why don't you make me?"

A matching smirk grew on Zoro's face, partially hidden by the katana in his mouth. "Don't regret saying those words."

 **There we have it, a (re)match up for the ages! I think I made it fairly obvious, but who do you guys think the two unnamed characters were in the first scene, I promise they're not OCs(this time)! Anyways, let me know your guesses, and any other thoughts you have!**

 **As for 'Eel's' name so far we have:**

 **-2 votes to keep it as is**

 **-2 votes for Eelzilla**

 **-2 votes for Krishna**

 **Leave a review telling me which one you like, or a new one. However, if I don't get more than 5 votes for any one name, I'm just going to keep it it the same. On the other hand, if I get waaaaaay too many(which probably won't happen), I'll make a poll because I'm lazy.**

 **(In reality there was only 1 vote for each and then one person just said it should be different, so I'm counting that as one vote for each option that isn't the default.) Thanks again for the reviews, and I hope all of you have a wonderful New Years...even though I'm more than a week late!**

K.


	17. Straw Hat Luffy Vs Marine Captain Zoro

**Swordnoob here with your next installment of One Piece Rebooted! Damn you guys really must have liked that last chapter, because we shot up to over 200 favorites and over 250 follows! That might not be much to some people, but it means a ton to me, thanks so much! Anyways, I don't own One Piece! Or do I? Dun dun dun!**

 **On to the chapter!**

 **P.S. Review Response at the bottom!**

 **Note: Royal=Using Six Powers**

 _ **East Blue, Yotsuba Island**_

A dirty, unkempt, blonde haired man sat on the beach, using a stick and a worm tied to a piece of string in an attempt to catch a fish. Suddenly, the man's stomach let loose a massive grumble, making him frown.

"Don't come back until you can prove your worth, he says." The man scoffed, rubbing his stomach in an attempt to rid himself of the constant hunger pangs. "Isn't this just torture? What does 'prove your worth' even mean?!"

Throwing his makeshift fishing pole to the side in frustration, the man stood. Dusting the sand off his tattered and stained clothes, it was obvious that the purple two piece he wore had once been very expensive, but was now nothing more than rags hanging from his emaciated form.

As the man stared out at the sea, pondering how else he could get something to eat, he noticed a small blot in the sky. As he continued to stare, the man could swear that it was getting bigger...and coming this way…

"OH SHIT!" The man yelled, diving to the side.

"BOOM!"

Sand exploded everywhere, partially burying the haggard figure. Blinded, the man wiggled and squirmed, trying to release himself from the sand's grainy clutches. Eventually, he escaped and rinsed the granules out of his eyes, allowing him to see once more. Staggering to his feet, the man turned, wondering what could be randomly falling from the sky.

"A whale?!" The man exclaimed in astonishment, his eyes bugging out. "Wait, no, it's just a woman…"

As he continued to stare at the massive person who had fallen from the sky, he began to have a feeling he recognized her. Wracking his brain, the man tried to remember where he had seen the figure before. With a snap of his fingers, the man whipped his head upwards, a look of triumph on his face, remembering a picture that hung in his father's office.

"Alvida!" Realizing who it actually was, the man's look of victory was slowly replaced with horror. "'Iron...Mace'...Alvida."

In fear, the man ran away, hiding behind a tree. After a few minutes of _not_ hearing a rampaging pirate, the figure peeked out from behind the oak. Noticing that the body hadn't moved, he continued to watch. After a few more minutes of continued stillness, the man snuck back towards the body, carefully prodding it with a stick. When, again, nothing happened, the man finally noticed the lack of a rising chest and the glassy, staring emptiness of the pirate's eyes.

"She's dead…?" The man asked himself, now even more intrigued. So much so that he actually forgot his hunger, simply circling the corpse while deep in thought. As he continued to wonder where the body had come from, his mouth slowly widened into a devious smile. "I don't know who did this, but they have given me something I can use!"

 _ **Koby and Nojiko Side**_

"BANG!" A crater was formed from a small store that lined Main Street.

"SLASH!" A single story home was bisected, causing the two halves to slump apart, revealing the building's interior.

"What kind of ridiculous fight is this?!" Nojiko muttered, still partially dragging Koby's dead weight. "I thought Nami's powers were crazy, but this is something else! And the swordsman said they _weren't_ even going all out!"

Finally out of the danger zone, the bluette dropped her burden on the ground. Not even seeming to notice his change of location, Koby continued to mutter insults at himself, while idly running his fingers along the trails of grout in the cobblestone street. "Loser. Weakling. Useless."

Despite her urge to watch the battle unfolding behind them, Nojiko knelt down in front of the cabin boy and began shaking his shoulders. "C'mon, pull yourself out of this, you're not useless!"

No matter how hard she shook him, or what she said, the rosette just sat limply, his eyes staring, but unseeing. Eventually, Nojiko stood back up, sighing in resignation. "I didn't want to do this, but…"

"SMACK!"

Koby's head whipped to the side, an obvious, hand-shaped mark discoloring his otherwise pale face. Slowly, Koby reached his hand towards the blemish, his eyes partially focusing on Nojiko's face. "Sis?"

"Sure, whatever! Just get up, I think you need to see this!" Nojiko sighed, although she smirked slightly. Unknown to most, the bluette enjoyed being an older, protective sibling.

The response fully rousing the teen from his self loathing, Koby pulled himself to his feet. Blushing, the rosette looked sidelong at the older female, before coughing into his hand. "Sorry, you just reminded me of my late sister, I know we don't-"

Nojiko held up a hand, stopping him. "It's fine, really. I already have one cute sibling to look out for, two isn't much of a difference." Continuing under her breath. "Even if she _is_ mentally older than me now…"

Raising an eyebrow at that comment, Koby was brought back to his Captain's battle by a unintelligible yell, before a series of buildings collapsed in succession.

"What is happening?!" The cabin boy exclaimed, his jaw hanging open at the destruction. "A natural disaster?!"

"While it seems like it, no, Luffy is fighting Zoro...for some reason," Nojiko recapped, shaking her head. "Why do men always have to fight over the stupidest things?"

Koby had zoned out the moment he heard that the destruction he was seeing was caused by two humans. The battle he was watching looked more like the clash of divinities, or something equally otherworldly. Seeing the power exhibited by someone who was barely older than himself frustrated Koby to his core. ' _What have I been_ doing _? Pretending to have a dream, then complaining it's too difficult.'_ Koby scoffed, disgusted by himself. ' _He's barely a year older, and can already do_ that _! If I put in half the effort he did, I would have already achieved my dream! No more excuses, no more self pity, no more_ pretending _!'_

As the sky rumbled and churned overhead, Nojiko took the time to look at the rosette, who had become oddly quiet after learning who was fighting. Every muscle in the teen's body was clenched, his hands flexing so hard they quivered. His eyes were fixated on the battle, while his teeth ground themselves together unceasingly. Overall, the sight was quite incongruous with the wimpy form the cabin boy normally portrayed.

Lightly punching Koby's shoulder, Nojiko smirked at the teen. "What are you making such a serious face for?"

"I'm gonna do whatever it takes, I _will_ follow my dream, even if I die!" Koby exclaimed, not realizing he was speaking aloud. "I _will_ protect those I care for!"

"Oh my, how manly," Nojiko teased, daintily covering her mouth with her right hand. "I hope I'm one of those people!"

Realizing what he had proclaimed, the cabin boy blushed heavily, hiding his face in his hands. ' _I can't believe I just shouted that…'_

Seeing his reaction, Nojiko simply laughed, causing Koby to shrink into his hands even further as lightning split the sky.

 _ **Nami vs. Tashigi**_

Pulling herself up from where she had been thrown effortlessly by the straw hat-wearing pirate, Tashigi adjusted her grip on Shigure, ready to try again, no matter how futile it seemed based on their clash. Instead, however, the swordswoman was faced with a scantily clad redhead, wielding nothing but a small, wooden object.

"Surrender, I don't want to fight an unarmed opponent," Tashigi declared, pointing her sword at the navigator. "But I will, if I have to."

"In that case," Nami answered, pointing her Clima-Tact in turn. "Then you should drop all your money, and run. I don't appreciate it when people attack my family."

Astounded that the woman before her believed she held the advantage, Tashigi simply sighed. Resheathing her sword, the swordswoman ran towards Nami, causing the navigator to tense in preparation to block or dodge. While midstep, Tashigi suddenly disappeared, before reappearing behind the pirate, slashing her blade in a diagonal line through the navigator. "Phantom Mists!"

Just as the Marine sheathed her weapon, believing the fight was over, Nami's form wavered and dissipated into nothing. A moment later, a group of different Nami clones faded into view, surrounding the swordswoman. Gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, Tashigi tsked in annoyance. "Damn Devil Fruit users!"

"You know it's dangerous wielding swords during a thunderstorm, don't you? Nami's disembodied voice echoed, barely able to be heard over the other battle happening all around them.

Ignoring the pirate's nonsensical monologue, Tashigi crouched low, one hand grabbing Shigure's sheath, and the other, the hilt. Spinning, the swordswoman lashed out in a circle, bisecting all of the mirages at once, dispelling them. "Blossoming Lilac!"

"The forecast for today includes lightning storms coupled with mirages!" Nami taunted, as mist surrounded the Marine. "Mirage Tempo: Phantasmagoria!"

As the mist retreated, a veritable army of clones filled the space around the swordswoman, shaking her confidence slightly. "How the hell do pirates even know Zoro-sensei, anyways?!" Tashigi yelled in frustration, hoping to stall Nami, her eyes searching for the navigator's true body.

Pausing her attack in surprise of the honorific, Nami(and her clones) all frowned. "We're...old friends."

"Lies!" Tashigi shouted with unusual vehemence. "Captain Zoro would never be associated with dirty pirates, especially not the kind who would attack a town using a Seaking, he's too virtuous!"

Nami sneered at her outburst. "Oh my, does the wallflower have a crush on the brute? Too bad, he probably never even noticed, being so focused on getting stronger, and all."

"What would a floozy know about crushes?!" Tashigi demanded, slashing through the mirages, still searching for the navigator.

"Floozy?!" Nami yelled indignantly, shooting a white egg into the air. "Hatch, Lightning-Chan!"

Cracking open, the ovum released a huge amount of thunderclouds, making the sky as dark and angry as the redhead's face.

"There you are!" Tashigi yelled, momentarily able to sense the navigator. Dashing through several more copies, the swordswoman raised Shigure, ready to strike the pirate down. "Cutting Rain!"

Seeing the Marine aim for her real body, Nami reined in her emotions, but it was too late. Knowing she only had one chance to stop the swordswoman, Nami swung her Clima-Tact downwards, bringing a massive bolt of lightning with it. "Thunder Breed Tempo!"

Just before Tashigi reached the navigator, light filled her vision, before pain overloaded her nerves, almost knocking the swordswoman unconscious immediately. As the light faded, Tashigi tried to overcome the pain, only barely able to struggle to her feet and point Shigure at the pirate.

"Is that…all...you...got…?" She panted in challenge.

Nami, for her part, had barely breathed a sigh of relief that the bolt had fallen _just_ fast enough. "Jinbei would be disappointed in me, though."

As the redhead turned to leave, the blackened foe shambled to her feet, seeming more like a zombie than a human.

"Is every swordsperson a damn masochist?!" Nami demanded, twirling to dodge a clumsy slash from the Marine.

Extending her Clima-Tact, the navigator brutally smashed the staff into the back of Tashigi's head, dropping the swordswoman like a sack of potatoes. Readying her staff for another whack, Nami waited for any sign the Marine would rise.

After a few minutes of nothing happening, the navigator let loose another sigh and stretched slightly, letting her adrenaline high subside. Reaching into Tashigi's pocket, Nami stole the Marine's wallet before turning to her fighting crewmates. "Now I have to go stop those two idiots, before they destroy this whole town…"

 _ **Luffy vs. Zoro**_

After placing Wado in his mouth, Zoro turned his back on his Captain, crossing his arms and making his other two blades aim upwards. "I bet you can't even hit me with my back turned…" The swordsman baited, his smirk still in place.

"I'm gonna kick your ass, then steal your swords again, so you'll have to be my First Mate!" Luffy proclaimed, rushing the Marine. "Shockwave!"

Just before the punch connected, Zoro whirled around, slashing his three swords in an 'x' pattern. "Purgatory Demon Slash!"

Alerted by his Observation, Luffy jumped into the air, causing his attack to go off course and destroy a building. At the same time, the pirate was able to escape with the barest of cuts, a small amount of blood dripping down his chest, and allowing the air slash to cut a distant home in two.

Landing on his feet, Luffy scowled in irritation. "That was a dirty trick!"

"You always were a bit...mentally challenged," Zoro responded with a taunting smirk.

Realizing the swordsman was trying to rile him, Luffy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself.

"Ignoring me is just as dangerous!" Zoro declared, dashing at his Captain while putting both his other swords behind and perpendicular to Wado Ichimonji. "Ultra Tiger Hunt!"

As the two blades fell towards his face, Luffy suddenly opened his eyes. Turning sideways, and almost seeming to flatten himself, the rubber-man dodged the first two downward cuts, before twisting his neck inhumanly to dodge the final horizontal blade. "Paper Arts!"

"What?!" Zoro exclaimed, now off balance by overextending on his attack.

"Foot Cannon!" Luffy exclaimed, exploiting the momentary weakness to shove a leg into his First Mate's gut.

Coughing up blood, Zoro shot into the wall of a bakery, causing it to collapse on top of him. Knowing that wasn't nearly enough to defeat the swordsman, Luffy waited, ready to respond to anything Zoro threw at him. A few moments later, the swordsman exploded out of the rubble, slashing his swords as he spun in midair.

"Black Rope Dragon Twister!" Zoro shouted, creating a fifty foot tall tornado of black wind. Sucking up the debris- and baked goods- that lay scattered around, the whirlwind sped towards Luffy in hopes of consuming him as well.

Kicking his legs so fast they blurred in quick succession, the rubber-man shot a series of wind blades at the tornado. "Tempest Gatling!"

As each air slash intercepted the whirlwind, they were assimilated, and, instead of slowing the attack, they were absorbed, causing the attack to grow another ten feet, turning it into a sixty foot twister. Now being scratched and peppered by small wind blades and pieces of debris thrown by the tornado, Luffy reached for his bangles. "I guess I don't have a choice, Gramps!"

 _ **Flashback**_

"Here, brat, put these on," Garp insisted, holding out a pair of livid, stone bangles.

"Jewelry?" Luffy whined, staring at the items with distaste. "Don't wanna!"

"Fist of Love!" The Marine exclaimed, punching his grandson over the head.

"Ow-wait, how come I couldn't sense your attack!?" Luffy demanded, rubbing his goose egg.

Garp grinned knowingly. "Don't worry, I'll teach you that too, but first you have to put these on, they're for training!"

Sticking his tongue out in annoyance, Luffy reached out to grab one of the bangles, only for his hand to sag weakly the moment he touched it. Recoiling, Luffy glared at his grandfather in irritation. "I'm a Devil Fruit user, you know I can't touch Sea Stone!"

"Can't you though?" Garp smirked, still holding out the accessories. "You use your fruit exceptionally well, even without Awakening it. However, mastering your Devil Fruit is just one aspect of being a New World level combatant. In the Marines, to even be eligible to be transferred to the New World, as a Seaman Recruit, you must at least have: a Devil Fruit, awakened your Haki, or be able to use two of the Six Powers."

Looking over to his grandson, Garp realized Luffy had fallen asleep, bored by his exposition. "Wake up, brat!" The Marine yelled, punching the rubber-man over the head yet again.

"I'm awake!" Luffy exclaimed, even as he began to nod off once more.

Kneading his nose, Garp looked up to the sky. "Why did I agree to this again?"

As if in response, the sky rumbled with thunder, even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Oh, right…"

 _ **Flashback End**_

Grabbing both of the bangles on his biceps, Luffy pulled off the accessories and pocketed them. Momentarily, Luffy's muscles doubled in size, before springing back into his slim form. Crouching and gaining a red tinge to his skin, the rubber-man jumped high into the air, cracking the cobblestone street in the process. Tucking into a ball with one leg extended, the pirate began to spin, causing his leg to stretch unnaturally. Finally, Luffy stopped spinning, flinging his leg downwards so fast it seemed to disappear while also shooting out a wind blade even larger than the tornado. "Royal Jet Axe!"

Cleaving through the town, Luffy's attack also split the thunderstorm that covered the island, allowing light to illuminate the area once more. Zoro's attack, while much more sedate, continued inexorably, seeking to drag anything in its path straight to the underworld. Slamming into each other with a massive "WHOOM!", the techniques fought for dominance as they ground together, each trying to overpower the other. Eventually, the attacks dissolved, leaving a large, circular section of the city completely leveled, with two lines of destruction radiating outwards from the center.

Grinning at the, mostly, undamaged form of his Captain, Zoro held Kitetsu III in a reverse grip so it pointed down to the right, then he placed his right sword pointing upward to the right, perpendicular to the Kitetsu. Blackening his blades, the Marine dashed at Luffy as he began to spin his swords in opposite directions. "Three Sword Style, Secret Technique: Greater Three Thousand Worlds!"

Seeing the swordsman use one of his strongest techniques, Luffy finally nodded in understanding. "I see, so that's how it is…"

Coating his right arm with Haki, Luffy threw the limb to the side powerfully. Instantly, the arm gained a reddish-black tinge and quintupled in size, becoming almost half the size of Luffy's body. Taking a deep breath, the limb expanded again, becoming larger than the pirate's entire body. Next, the rubber-man compacted the limb into his shoulder, making it reminiscent of a huge, loaded cannon. Finally, using a combination of Iron Body and Paper Arts, Luffy compressed the massive arm back down into the size of a regular limb.

Gritting his teeth at the immense pressure contained in his right arm, Luffy Shaved forward, punching at the wall of whirling blades that was his First Mate. "Royal King Kong Gun!"

Immediately, the pirate grunted in pain as several deep cuts appeared on his arm, spraying blood in a wide arc. A second later his limb shot out from his shoulder, catching Zoro directly in the face. After connecting, the arm snapped back to its previous size, stopping the swordsman's attack and sending him ragdolling backwards into an undemolished section of the town.

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

Zoro kept plowing through buildings, until there weren't any more buildings to hit. Instead, he began to dig a trench in the ground as he finally started to lose speed. When he eventually stopped, the Marine no longer had his cape, or most of his shirt for that matter. Rather, blood leaked from his head, covering the rest of his body like a second skin. Seemingly unconcerned with the massive amount of blood loss, Zoro looked at his blades, checking for damage. Seeing none, the swordsman smirked pridefully. "If that didn't chip them, nothing will!"

"Fwip!" Seeming to appear from nowhere, Luffy stood in front of him, the pirate's mangled right arm hanging flaccidly at his side. "Was that enough for you, or do you want some more Zoro?!"

"I'm still not convinced," Zoro smirked, as he wrapped his bandana around his head, stopping his bleeding head from blinding him. At the same time, two phantasms appeared next to him, one scowling ghoulishly and the other grinning maniacally. "Asura…"

"Fine, then! No more holding back!" Luffy exclaimed, placing his left hand flat on the ground. Channeling his Haki into the dirt, the rubber-man coated a huge area around him with the invisible armor. "Gear Infi-"

"KA-BOOM!" A massive lightning bolt suddenly split the sky, striking Zoro dead on.

Not even seeming to notice the attack, Zoro began to rush at Luffy, although _much_ slower than before, and seeming to wince with each step he took.

"KA-BOOM!" Another lightning bolt hit the swordsman, but, this time, it didn't stop at one, with a second, then a third also pounding the Marine, leaving the area covered in the stench of ozone and burnt flesh.

"Well that's just not fair…" Zoro mumbled, as he wavered, his body blackened by electrical burns.

"Oh, sorry," Nami stated, walking out from behind some bushes, her Clima-Tact raised. "Pirates don't give a fuck!"

"KA-BOOM!" Again, lightning fell, slamming into the swordsman, finally knocking him unconscious.

"Damn witch…" Zoro cursed as his eyes rolled back.

"Nami, what the hell?!" Luffy exploded, momentarily allowing his Conqueror's to wash over the navigator. "You don't interrupt a fight between men!"

Easily ignoring the burst of Haki, Nami massaged her temples in annoyance. "What matters more? Your "manly" pride, or your crew?"

Momentarily taken aback, the rubber-man remembered what happened at Kalm Island, before grinning at the redhead.

"Sorry," Luffy nodded, walking over to the downed form of his First Mate. "But next time, I'll tell you if I need help. I'm the Captain, so it's my job to protect you guys."

"Wrong!" Nami denied, hitting the the teen over the head with her Clima-Tact. "It's _our_ job to protect each other!"

Smiling widely, Luffy started back towards the town, Zoro's body hung over his shoulder. Turning around, the pirate noticed Nami was heading in a different direction. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go grab my loot, I'll meet you back at the port." The navigator responded, heading back into the woods.

"Loot?" Luffy questioned, slightly adjusting Zoro's weight. "Where did you get treasure from?"

"The Marine base was on the way here, so I went and got the good stuff while it was empty." Nami explained simply.

"Shishishi!" Luffy chuckled at the redhead's antics. "See ya!"

After plodding along for a few minutes through the rubble, Zoro began to stir. Lifting his head for a moment, the swordsman made brief eye contact with Luffy, nodding in greeting before closing his eyes and returning to sleep. A second later, Zoro jumped out of Luffy's arms, his mind finally realizing he was being carried.

Tensing in case the swordsman wanted to continue their battle, Luffy stared at his First Mate, ready to react if he needed to. Zoro, on the other hand, immediately knelt in front of his Captain, pressing his head against the ground.

"I'll understand if you no longer wish to have me on your crew," Zoro began, his voice carefully controlled to express no emotion. "I'm sorry for fighting you, but I had to be sure."

"Sure...of what?" Luffy asked, surprised by the swordsman's sudden change of temperament..

"I had to be sure you were ready, that you were _strong_ enough," The swordsman explained, his voice beginning to falter slightly. "That _I_ was strong enough...I...can't do it again."

Stone faced, the rubber-man didn't interrupt again, allowing his crewmate to explain himself, reserving judgement for later.

Almost as if he was talking to himself, Zoro continued. "I've said scars on the back are a swordsman's shame…but that's a lie." Confessing the thoughts he had repressed for almost three years, the teen clenched his teeth, refusing to shed tears. "A swordsman's true shame, _my_ shame _,_ is failing in their promises. I promised my childhood friend I would become the World's Greatest Swordsman, and I failed. I promised you I would never lose again, and I failed, _three times_. But now, I know what we'll be up against, how strong we, _I,_ need to be so I'll never fail again.

Nodding in understanding, Luffy placed a hand on his First Mate's shoulder. "Why do you think I've been getting more companions?"

"Huh?" Zoro questioned, raising his head so he could read his Captain's face.

"First, and most importantly, having more people means having more fun," Luffy stated, raising his index finger, before also raising his middle finger to join it. "Second, more people means more strength, right?"

Confused, Zoro stared at his Captain, motioning for him to continue. Smiling, Luffy sat down, laying his injured arm in his lap. "Well, while Gramps was training me…"

 _ **Flashback**_

Next to a massive fire with a tiger being cooked on a spit over it, Luffy and Garp sat on logs, resting from an exhausting day of training.

"So, how do you plan on defeating the entirety of the Marines?" Garp suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"What?" Luffy responded, tearing his gaze away from the cooking meat.

"Well you said you wanted to save Ace, right?" The Vice-Admiral explained, forcing himself not to eat the undercooked food. " _So,_ how do you plan on defeating the entirety of the Marines? Even Whitebeard wasn't able to, apparently."

"Oh, that," Luffy waved off. "All my crew members are going to get stronger, we'll kick the Marines' asses, and save Ace. Plus, I've been working on something in my free time."

"That's good and all, but isn't that a little…uncertain?" Garp questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure your friends are strong, you wouldn't have made it so far if they weren't, but Whitebeard has powerful underlings as well, plus tons of other pirate crews that are allied with him. Yet, when it came down to it, they still failed."

"Yeah, but-" Luffy began, only to be interrupted.

"Also," His grandfather continued, his face scowling in rage. "You were _killed_ by a smaller force in the New World."

As the truth of the man's words sunk in, Luffy started to nod along, worry beginning to flood his features. "What else _can_ I do, though?"

"Well," Garp smirked, holding up three fingers. "There are three things you can do to improve your chances of survival. The first is simple, give up on being Pirate King."

Luffy simply stared at his grandfather, not even bothering to respond to that suggestion.

"Bwahaha!" Garp laughed. "I figured you wouldn't like it, but can you fault me for trying? Anyways, the second option is to train until you are the absolute strongest person on the planet. Although, that isn't really feasible, because how would you know when that was?"

"Your advice sucks," Luffy deadpanned, turning back to the fire.

"Cheeky brat," The Marine grumbled, holding up his last finger. "That's why I left this option for last. The easiest way to increase your odds of winning is to do the same thing the Emperors _and_ the Marines do: Have a large amount of fairly strong warriors, lead by a handful of extremely strong warriors, headed by one ridiculously strong warrior."

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed, pounding his fist into his other hand. "Like old man Whitebeard! Just gather a bunch of friends who can help each other! Come to think about it, even Shanks had more crew members than I do! Why didn't I think about that?!"

After a moment, Luffy gained a look of realization. "That's why the Grand Fleet wanted to share a drink with me! They didn't want me to be their boss, they just wanted to be friends!" Turning back to his grandfather, Luffy grinned widely. "Thanks, Gramps!"

"No problem," Garp said, sweat covering his forehead. ' _That's not what I was saying at all!'_

 _ **Flashback End**_

"So all we have to do is make more friends!" Luffy exclaimed, confidence rolling off the teen. "Even if they are weak, we'll just have to train them up a bit to make sure they are ready for the New World."

"Strength in numbers and, well, strength," Zoro muttered to himself as he mulled the idea over. "That, actually, makes a lot of sense, I'm surprised you're okay with that, though."

"Well, why not?" The rubber-man explained, standing up. "The only reason I didn't want a big crew was because Shanks had a small crew and I didn't want to be a famous pirate. Now, I realize that will happen whether I want it to or not, so I might as well do things my way instead."

Zoro chuckled. "You already do that, idiot."

"You're right!" Luffy admitted, extending a hand to his First Mate. "So let's go, Greatest Swordsman!"

"Aye-aye, Pirate King!" Zoro proclaimed, grasping the proffered limb.

As the duo set back off towards the middle of Shells Town, Luffy replaced his stone bangles, pausing briefly as he grabbed them. Looking around at the destruction caused by their fight, Luffy frowned. "We shouldn't have fought in the middle of the town, it looks like something Spiky would do."

Zoro shook his hand nonchalantly. "I made the Marines evacuate the area, then evacuate themselves. Plus, the Government has funds to rebuild areas destroyed by pirates, and towns with Marine bases have priority."

"Speaking of Marines, how _did_ you end up as one?" Luffy questioned, his worries put to rest.

"Well," The swordsman scratched his cheek awkwardly. "When I came into town two years ago, much like the first time, I found Helmeppo's wolf running through town, attacking people, so I killed it. Then, I punched its owner in the face for being an asshole. Eventually, I ended up fighting the Marines, but they were all weaklings so I beat them up without really hurting any of them. Finally, I took out Morgan, allowing them to arrest him."

"That still doesn't explain how you ended up as a Marine…" Luffy prompted.

Staring at the rubber-man in annoyance for interrupting him, Zoro continued. "I asked the Marines if they would take me to Loguetown when they moved Morgan, so I could go get Kitetsu back. They agreed, but when the time came, Vice-Admiral Momonga arrived to escorted us to Loguetown, where they were going to resupply, before heading to Impel Down. Unfortunately, Morgan somehow caught Momonga unaware and almost escaped, but he tried to kill me while I was napping, so I just knocked him out again."

As Zoro talked, Luffy nodded along, happy to hear what his friend had been doing.

"Momonga was impressed, but then started spouting something about a draft, or something? I wasn't really paying attention. Anyways, he basically told me I had to become a Marine, or he would have to arrest me too. So, I did, because I didn't want to get a bounty so soon." Zoro finished, an annoyed look crossing his face from the memories.

"I can't believe you got forced into the Marines," Luffy snickered, partially covering his mouth with his hand. "That's pretty dumb of you!"

"I'd like to see you do better, moron!" The swordsman raged, his face reddening slightly.

Suddenly, Zoro sensed someone using his Observation, startling him into action. "Oh shit, Tashigi!"

Rushing through the debris scattered everywhere, Zoro rushed to the swordswoman's side, brushing off some rubble that had landed on her. Picking up the Marine's charred form in a princess carry, the First Mate ran towards the Naval Base that still towered above the town, turning his head to address Luffy. "I'll meet you at the port, I have to get her medical attention!"

Nodding in confirmation, Luffy, give a small wave of farewell, watching the swordsman zigzag randomly around area, disappearing behind one mound of rubble, before appearing out of another. Putting his hands behind his head, Luffy turned back and continued onwards, idly kicking wreckage to lessen his boredom. Eventually, the rubber-man made his way to the port, eyeing the forms of Nojiko and Koby playing catch with Eel. One of the pair would grab an item from the pier, and chuck it as far as they could, while the Seaking raced to grab the item before it could hit the water.

Glad his new friends were getting along, Luffy raised his hand in greeting. "Hey guys!"

"Luffy!"

"Capta-What happened to your arm!" Koby shrieked in alarm, noticing the mangled limb.

"Don't worry, it's just a few cuts," Luffy dismissed, waving the teen off. "I've had _way_ worse."

" _A few cuts?!_ " Koby yelled, almost passing out from the sight of so much blood. "Your arm is almost cut off!"

"Shishishi," Luffy chuckled, moving his arm to show it was fine. "You should see the other guy."

"I'd rather not!" Koby exclaimed, beginning to rip his shirt into pieces. "Now stop moving your arm, you're going to make it worse!"

"You sound like Chopper!" The rubber-man whined, even though he let the Cabin Boy wrap his arm in the strips of cloth. "All I need is some meat, and I'll be fine!"

"I don't know who that is, but they sound sensible, unlike you!" The rosette replied, creating a makeshift sling from the remaining material. "That's the best I can do, so don't mess with it!"

"So what happened with the Marines, and where's Nami?" Nojiko questioned worriedly, after watching the duo with amusement.

"They'll both be here in a bit," Luffy responded, looking up from his limb. "Nami's gathering some treasure, and Zoro is taking the woman to the clinic."

Relieved, Nojiko simply nodded, waiting for the last members to appear. Soon enough, Zoro came into view, holding a large duffle bag, and no longer wearing what was left of his Marine attire. Instead, he had a blood red t-shirt, half covered by the green and black-striped haramaki around his waist. Black pants were now stuffed into the black boots he wore, the bottoms ruffled. On his head, a blood soaked bandage had been haphazardly wound around, almost completely covering his green hair. Catching the sun from where they dangled from his left ear, three golden earrings glinted. Finally, his three swords were sheathed through the haramaki on his right side.

Nodding to Luffy, the swordsman wordlessly made he way over to a large piece of rubble, sat down, placing the bag next to him, and closed his eyes. In response, Nojiko glared at the man, irritated at being so blatantly ignored. Koby frowned, but made no indication it was at the swordsman, his old instincts kicking in.

"Where's Nami?" Nojiko wondered aloud, the worry from earlier creeping back into her voice.

Luffy smirked, pointing slightly behind, and to the left of the bluette. "Right there."

Fading into view, Nami pouted at the rubber-man. "No fair, Observation is cheating!"

Nojiko and Koby whirled in surprise, one staring in shock, and the other in annoyance.

"How many times have I asked you _not_ to sneak up on me like that?!" Nojiko demanded, waving her hands.

"How did you do that?!" Koby asked at the same time, his mouth gaping.

"For the first question, twelve," Nami stated, pointing at her sister. "As for the the second, the power of science!"

"Awesome!" Koby exclaimed, his eyes becoming stars.

"How does Franky deal with those looks…?" Nami asked herself, disturbed by the sight.

"The real answer," Zoro suddenly stated with a smirk. "Is if you speak of the devil, she will appear."

"Excuse you, _debtor_ ," The navigator hissed, her face contorting in anger. "If you think you can almost kill my sister without consequences!"

"Yeah!" Nojiko yelled in agreement.

"Your debt is getting doubled!" Nami continued, shaking a finger at the swordsman.

"Wait, uh, what, that's it?" Nojiko stuttered, turning to face her sibling.

Pausing her tirade, Nami looked at the bluette. "Well, yeah, you wouldn't have been hurt that bad, master swordsmen don't cut anything unless they want to."

Stunned with the casual tone Nami had explained that with, Nojiko shook her head in disbelief. "Why am I even surprised?"

"What is the total now?" Zoro asked, eyeing the navigator, a cocky look on his face.

"With ten percent interest compounded over five years, plus being doubled for your transgressions," Nami calculated, grinning smugly. "It comes out to four million, two hundred thousand Beris!"

"Here, call it even," Zoro stated, throwing his bag at the navigator's feet, where it cracked the ground.

"There's no way you casually have that much money on you," Nami stated, even though her eyes gave away her own uncertainty.

Unzipping the duffle, Nami's mouth began to water from the amount of currency and jewelry contained in the bag. After simply staring at the money for several minutes, the navigator jerked her head up, a questioning look covering her face.

"Where was this stashed, I robbed the Marine Base blind!" The redhead demanded, gesturing to an equally large bag behind her. "I even took the literal silverware!"

"Three words," Zoro explained, chuckling. "Steel piggy bank."

Nami stared at the swordsman, unable to tell if he was being serious. Ignoring the navigator, Zoro stood up and looked at Luffy. "Where's our ride? The rest of the Marines are probably making their way back into the town by now."

"Oh that reminds me!" The rubber-man smiled, releasing a piercing whistle.

Immediately, Eel rose out of the water from which he had been resting under while they had waited for Zoro and Nami. Wiggling in delight, the Seaking nuzzled Luffy, before whining when he noticed the pirate's injured arm. "Wa!"

"It's alright boy, I had to knock some sense into my friend," Luffy said soothingly, stroking the beast's dorsal fin.

Pulling himself from the petting hands, Eel growled menacingly at Zoro, his two foot long fangs bared in warning.

Taking the look as a challenge, Zoro partially unsheathed Wado Ichimonji, contorting his face demonically. "I'm hungry, and sushi sounds _really_ good right now…"

Neither backing down, nor attacking, Luffy eventually stepped in between them, letting loose a burst of Conquerors. "Stand down, both of you, or I'll be your opponent, _again."_

As if something caught in both of their throats, the duo made coughing noises, while breaking eye contact.

"Wouldn't want to stress your arm anymore…"

"Bwa…"

"If that's over with," Nami interrupted, rolling her eyes at the scene. "Is there a boat we could use, keeping upright on...Eel's…head is tiresome."

"There are a couple boats we could commandeer," Zoro suggested, pointing to the boats moored along the coast.

"Give me a bit, I'll go find the best one to suit our needs," Nami announced, immediately going to survey the vessels.

As the navigator left, Zoro walked over to the Cabin Boy, kneeling to be at the same eye level. Wordlessly, the swordsman stared into the teen's face, searching. Unsettled, but emboldened by his earlier declaration, Koby stared back, even though his knees shook from the intensity of the gaze. Eventually, Zoro nodded, the corners of his mouth rising ever so slightly. "Good, _that_ I can work with."

"Huh?" The rosette stated dumbly.

"Don't worry about it," Zoro said, standing. "But here's a tip for the future: even if you have to starve, don't accept a loan from the witch."

Looking from the huge duffel bag to Zoro, then back again, Koby gave the swordsman a flat look. "Noted."

"Hey!" Nojiko exclaimed, interposing herself between them. "Don't go filling his head with your biases!"

"It's not bias, it's fact," The swordsman responded bluntly, picking up the two huge bags of treasure and following after the navigator.

"I don't like that guy's attitude." With a huff, Nojiko turned around and looked at Koby. "Remember this, girls don't like cocky guys!"

With a face as unimpressed as the one he had given Zoro, Koby nodded. "Noted, can we just go get on the boat now?"

"Not much of a choice…" Nojiko responded, walking towards the moorings, Koby following along a few steps behind her.

At the same time, Luffy had been indulging Eel with scratches and head pats. As the pirate stroked the Seaking, his face became serious. "Okay, Eel, you helped me get back to my friends and we have a boat now, so you're free to return to Dawn Island, thanks for the help!"

"Bwaa?" The Seaking questioned, beginning to tear up.

"Yeah, you can to go back to your friends and family!" Luffy exclaimed, giving the beast one of his signature grins.

"Bawa!" Eel growled, shaking his head firmly.

"You don't have family or friends?" Luffy asked, surprised.

"Wa!" The Seaking exclaimed, shoving his face in the rubber-man's arms, tears streaming from his huge eyes.

"You want to come with me?" The pirate affirmed, raising an eyebrow. "We're your friends?"

"Bwa!" Eel stated, nuzzling Luffy again.

"You want to help me become King of the Pirates?" Luffy asked, his smile returning, even brighter than before.

"Bwa!" The Seaking proclaimed, nodding vigorously.

"If that's true, is there something you want us to help _you_ do?" Luffy prompted, poking the Seaking playfully.

Pausing, the beast looked uncertain, as if hesitant to share his dream.

"How about I share mine, then you'll share yours," Luffy said, hoping to ease the Seaking's fears. "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

Encouraged by the teen's unabashed declaration, Eel let loose a massive roar. "BWAA!"

"King of the Beasts, huh?" Luffy smirked, thinking back to the rest of his crew's ridiculous goals. "You'll fit right in!"

 **There we have it! Please let me know what you thought of the fights, since this is really my first time writing a full blown one. Clashes don't count as fights, I'm looking at you** _ **Oda**_ **! Anyways, this is my longest chapter so far, sitting at 6.8k words(before author's notes)! As for Eel's name, I've decided to give it until I upload the next chapter to decide the winner, so you won't find out the champion until then. The votes we have so far are as follows:**

 **Keep it as is: 7**

 **Krishna: 3**

 **Lil' Shanks: 2**

 **Eelzilla: 3**

 **Unaga: 2**

 **As for Zoro's motivations, I really stated my thoughts fully in the chapter. Zoro is the First Mate, and, aside from occasionally making sure Luffy doesn't embarrass himself, his role is to protect the crew, just like Luffy. The other Strawhats(besides Usopp) have other, more important roles, than fighter. So him failing three times would be the equivalent of Nami letting the Sunny get shipwrecked because she couldn't do her role properly. So he's making sure that Luffy, and himself, are actually ready for what's ahead. That's my perspective anyways, so be sure to let me know your thoughts in the reviews!**

 **Time to start the Review Response!**

 **Buterflypuss**

 **Ch.15:** _ **good chap**_

 _ **Ch.16:**_ _ **good chap...eh, Eelzilla seems to suit**_

 **A: Thanks, I'll never get tired of your comments and your vote has been tallied!**

 **Soledge1**

 _ **Ch.15: Nami's greed never changes. still from the look of things Luffy maybe getting new crew members. now that Zoro is a marine I wonder how things will change with him and Tashigi. enemy, rivals or lovers? I hope Usopp becomes more badass. he was a great shot but weak at hand to hand combat.**_

 **A: Nami...Nami never changes...Yup Luffy is definitely getting new members, 'Eel' being the newest! Enemies, rivals, or lovers? Why not all three? Yeah, I can't wait to get to Ussop, I have a lot of stuff planned for our favorite sniper!**

 _ **Ch.16:**_ _ **vote: as is.**_

 **A: Noted, thanks for voting!**

 **Kippysaurus:**

 _ **Ch.15: Thanks for the shoutout! I think Nami should call Luffy out on his bad naming sense here! And please tell me if Nojiko's joining! C'mon! I'm your beta reader! You can trust me!**_

 **A: No problem, I appreciate the help and I added that in on these chapters! I'll try to be more transparent in the future! And no, I am not giving spoilers in the review response! :P**

 _ **Ch.16: You kept the K. On the end, you might wanna get rid of that…**_

 **A: *Awkward silence* Er, I'll get right on that…**

 **bloody dragon fang:**

 _ **Ch.15: Why don't you tell me this out line in a PM, you have me even more curious on the matter.**_

 _ **As for the two fruits, my brother made two lists of fruits that you can choose from. Non-canon & Fan-made.**_

 _ **Still this has a nice pace and I like how you are going about this, may I recommend Luffy allowing eel to eat most of the Krieg pirates.**_

 **A: Well, I don't have a physical outline, or even a rigid mental one. I just have things I want to do, and I try to push the characters to get to that place. While other times things come up at the last second, so I just add them. Plus it would be major spoilers, sorry. On the subject of your mini story, sorry for not giving you my opinion, that was actually around when I got sick, then I totally forgot to respond, so I'll put it here. It definitely felt like One Piece, and I actually might write an Omake when I get to that part of the story, with your permission of course, that is similar. I would also encourage you to write your own One Piece fic, I think you could make a good one!**

 **Thanks for the compliments, and Eel might just get to do that, we'll have to see!**

 _ **Ch.16:**_ _ **wow, major climax fight happening**_

 **A: Yup! Let me know what you think I did well and what I can improve on!**

 **Bloody Rogue dragon deity king:**

 _ **Ch.15: This was a great read, as for the Rumble-Rumble fruit I like to hear that. I feel that with it being part of the straw-hat pirates they will have so much more potential.**_

 _ **BTW starting to like that idea with the trade of Ms. Valentines day for 2 Devil fruits**_

 **A: The Rumble-Rumble fruit will make something possible for the Strawhats that almost no other crew is able to do, I have to keep myself from getting hyped when I think about it, haha.** _ **I**_ **like the idea too, but I just can't see Luffy knowingly turning over a person, even an enemy, for personal gain. Maybe the other Strawhats could do it without his knowledge? Hmm…**

 **Matt:**

 _ **Ch.15: LOL! This was hilarious, can't wait to see what Nami and Luffy's reactions to Zoro being a Marine Captain(if he is one). Wonder how that'll rock the boat? Hope you update soon. P.S. Happy Holidays, and New Years!**_

 **A: Glad you thought it was funny, it's nice to be assured! Did you think their reactions were appropriate? Thanks for the well wishes!**

 _ **Ch.16:**_ _ **Krishna. Also I know the first was Smoker but don't know who the other was.**_ _ **Neat idea for Zoro. Also will Tashigi become a Straw Hat? and What happened to Helmeppo?**_

 **A: Added to the count! Since another reviewer already said it, its Smoker and Aokiji, glad it wasn't super hard, but also not super easy! Thanks, I hadn't seen it done before, so I'm glad you thought it worked! Tashigi will not be a Straw Hat, at least not for the foreseeable future. Hmm...I wonder?**

 **VoyagersUnite:**

 _ **Ch.15:**_ _ **monsiuer... monsiur... monsieur... however you spell that... wonderful chapter, i am looking forward to the next chapter. I'm glad the shrimp joined the crew and i look forward to seeing where it goes.**_

 **A: Happy you liked it, and hope you liked this one too! Oh, I am going to have fun with Koby! ...Not that way you Perverts!**

 **Warkaiser:**

 _ **Ch.15: Eelzilla**_

 **A: Thanks for voting!**

 **Leviathan Hunter:**

 _ **Ch15:**_ _ **Sent PM with my real comment**_

 **A: They're all pretty cool!**

 _ **Ch.16:**_ _ **holy hockey turds**_

 **A: Thanks! This is a good comment...right? I'll assume it is! :D**

 **?:**

 _ **Ch.15: It's awesome ! Fabulous ! Please update more !**_

 **A: Thanks, I'll try!**

 **Kyekye:**

 _ **Ch.15:**_ _ **love it hope to read more soon**_

 **A: Thanks, hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Chunnin33:**

 _ **Ch.15: Marine Zoro ey. Curious to see where you're going with that.**_

 **A: Now that you know, what did you think?**

 **GreatNate1502:**

 _ **Ch.15:**_ _ **Hmm yes very good**_

 **A: Glad you liked it!**

 **?:**

 _ **Ch.15:**_ _ **BOIIIIIIII GIIVVE MMEE MORE YOU UPDATE WAY TO SLOW CHILD**_

 **A: I know, but, unlike a lot of people on this site, I don't have patience so I didn't really write stuff ahead of time, so you get a chapter as soon as I'm done with it. I've been trying to do stuff faster but, life happens. Thanks for your tolerance!**

 **Shiho-Akemi:**

 _ **Ch.15:**_ _ **Okay I feel that with the butterfly effect everything went to hell**_

 **A: That's true, but, if it didn't, things wouldn't be very fun to read would it? Chaos is fun!**

 **THE ONE:**

 _ **Ch.15: Im loving the story nice work are you gonna hold a poll for what df luffy is going to get pesonally hoping for a original like the kaze kaze no mi (wind wind fruit ) or any logia can you also do stats for the mc's like strength:**_

 _ **speed:**_

 _ **dont have to as it takes alot of effort thank you for the great story and cant wait for more if it does happen**_

 **A: Hold up, did I say Luffy was going to get a new Devil Fruit somewhere? I apologize if you guys thought Luffy is getting a new Devil Fruit, because I have no intentions of doing that. If Luffy didn't have the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, I feel like that would just be weird. Again, I apologize if I gave that impression. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you continue to read!**

 **MayaHikari:**

 _ **Ch.1: ah... why does deities always want mortals to defeat their power as part of their test? is this their ego talking?**_

 _ **nice reincarnation start... will review later when I know more.**_

 _ **I really need to read the 2 latest arcs.**_

 **A: Well if your a captured god, and have limited power, you can't just go wasting it! And also probably their ego. Yeah, we're in Wano, baby, you gotta get on the hype train!**

 _ **Ch.2: really umi god ego.**_

 **A: Well, I see it less as ego, and more frustration, she has been locked up for almost a millenia. Appreciate the input though!**

 _ **Ch.3: Umi don't project Vivi. worse you can't tell them after the fact.**_

 **A: Hey, I'm just copying Oda here, there is always a female character that is 'evil' then turns out to be good. I'll try to be less cliche in the future.**

 _ **Ch.4:**_ _ **idiot. you will lose information/connection if you cut off from being a marine. and you are a D. the idiots on the top of the mountain will likely order to kill you.**_

 **A: Possibly, but it would kind of be a Rayleigh situation where they would have to send at least one Admiral to do the job, and how do you explain killing the Hero of the Marines?**

 **TheGreatBubbaJ:**

 _ **Ch.1:**_ _ **Umi's physical description fits Ariel.**_

 **A: Actually, the basis for her look was Ariel and Shirahoshi doing the Fusion Dance, so, spot on!**

 _ **Ch.2: Bamboozled.**_

 **A: The start is a bit slow I admit, but it is supposed to be its own little mini-arc.**

 _ **Ch.3: Unique start, interesting.**_

 **A: Thanks!**

 _ **Ch.4:**_ _ **Good work Garp, fresh new fuckery.**_

 **A: I'm pretty sure that describes the Monkey family as a whole, haha.**

 _ **Ch.5:**_ _ **But the true question, did he died.**_

 **A: Who knows? But we didn't see a body…**

 _ **Ch.6: Usopp surprisingly dark.**_

 _ **USOPP: AGAIN WITH THE SURPRISINGLY.**_

 **A: Lmao! I honestly didn't even realize that when I wrote it!**

 _ **Ch.7: My guess is some ardent supporters of Im. Maybe his headsmen.**_

 **A: That was supposed to be Dragon, and Koshiro is just watching Zoro on his orders, for some reason...unless you're talking about something else?**

 _ **Ch.8: Wonder if we'll see Anubis again, and just what his purpose was.**_

 **A: Since you figured it out already, I'm just going to congratulate you on being the first to connect those dots!**

 _ **Ch.9: Was the Cain Wood just a throwaway or actually useful? At the very least, she could throw it at someone.**_

 **A: I have some plans for it and Zoro**

 _ **Ch.10: Dollars to donuts those 'papers' aren't the blueprints.**_

 **A: Unfortunately, they were…**

 _ **Ch.11: Shits getting fucky.**_

 **A: Oh yeah!**

 _ **Ch.12: Him and the guy that tried to hire Sanji are in the same organization, some new world based one it seems. Maybe a third God's underlings? Big papa sun sick of his kiddos fighting?**_

 **A: Yep they are! There is also a third one I have mentioned in passing as well, can you find them? The name of the group is Akhet, which means horizon/dawn. As for a third god, who knows?**

 _ **Ch.13: Tough shit Luffy, you're getting the Grand Fleet, and it'll be even Granderer than before!**_

 **A: Oh yes it is!**

 _ **Ch.14: Call him Lil' Shanks, since he'll have the face scar and he ate Shanks' arm. It'll be a grand old laugh.**_

 _ **Or Chomper to mess with Chopper. I really can't see Luffy naming him anything deep or meaningful, more likely a joke name.**_

 _ **Also, how in the hell did Scrublord Alvida survive a King's Double Fisting.**_

 **A: Funnily enough, I gave him the scar so he would look more like Luffy. A straight scar underneath his left eye? Anyways, it is pretty funny! Yeah, Luffy doesn't put thought into names, that's why I had his place holder be 'Eel' cuz that what I think Luffy would name him.**

 **You didn't know that Alvida is the daughter of Kaido and Big Mom? Of course she could shrug off a measly Six King Gun. Jokes aside, she didn't, so good on you for calling that one!**

 _ **Ch.15: Eel is the first new crew member.**_

 _ **Money is so confusing in One Piece. Bounties are basically just score cards, since no one actually seems to cash the fucking things, and we don't know how much gets spent on general supplies/upkeep. The only concrete cost we ever see is when Tagashi creams herself over swords in Loguetown, and building the Sunny. Even the Sunny is a bit nebulous, since we can't know how much went to securing wood, and how much went to the speedo budget.**_

 **A: Well, Eel is kind of like Nami in this situation. While she was the second to ride with the crew, she was actually the fourth to officially join. Eel didn't officially join, until the end of this chapter. At least, that how I view it.**

 **Yeah, money is weird, but I won't be shoving bounty hunters in the closet like Oda has, trust me on that. The only thing you really need to know about the Strawhats and money is that they don't have any, lol.**

 _ **Ch.16: My vote is still for Lil Shanks. He could say he named it as a way for Lil Shanks to repent for yoinking his arm.**_

 _ **Smoker and Aokoji? Note really hard to figure.**_

 _ **Zoro is gonna be so deep in debt after his 'test' is done. Tashigi is either gonna be heart broken and swear eternal lady-boner filled vengeance against Zoro, or follow along to continue her training. Rendering Zoro not only in debt, but a hypocrite in debt.**_

 _ **Guess Luffy lost his fruit...somehow? Did Garp accidentally kill him for a bit or something a la Nine Minutes? You mentioned earlier his noggin didn't feel rubbery, but I figured that was Nami using Comedy Haki. Since you've mentioned it twice though...**_

 _ **Does that mean Lil Shanks gets 2 votes as well?**_

 **A: Yep, Lil' Shanks gets 2 votes as well! Yeah, Zoro was in debt, but he had been saving to get out of it, lucky him. As for Tashigi, you'll find out next chapter for sure, so I see no reason to spoil. Luffy didn't lose his fruit, he just has Sea Stone bangles that nullify it and constantly weaken him. Think of it like Kenpachi's eyepatch from Bleach, glad you picked up on it!**

 **Chrisfragger:**

 _ **Ch.4:**_ _ **Luffy and Ace could never have been Marines... They would have had "accidents" at some point, if not arrested and executed regardless of their careers and records...**_

 _ **The marines are THAT dirty…**_

 **A: Ace, definitely, there is no way he could ever be a Marine. Luffy, on the other hand, I could see them trying to use him against his father as a spy, kind of like what Rosinante did. The moment they no longer had a use for him, however...**

 **PraetorXyn:**

 _ **Ch.16: Good chapter. Look forward to more. Hope NamiNojiko are semi competent at least.**_

 **A: Thanks, here's your monthly dose! I got to show off a bit of Nami's prowess this chapter, so I hope you liked it, and Nojiko will show her, let's say, gifts...soon enough.**

 **Push23:**

 _ **Ch.16: Good chap...Zoro x Luffy fight is exciting to see...as for Lord of the coast's name...I think keeping as it is good and it's very much Luffy like. So my vote is for keeping as it is!**_

 **A: Added to the score, thanks for voting! Yeah, I always wanted a rematch in the actually story, but this will have to do for now, haha!**

 **SaucySerg:**

 _ **Ch.16: Really good chapter. I never would have thought that Zoro would have joined the marines, but I could definitely understand his reasoning for his actions. I also like Eel as is.**_

 **A: Glad I could surprise you! I'm surprised so many people like Eel!**

 **Tyufvfv:**

 _ **Ch.16: Keep it as eel!**_

 **A: Thanks for voting!**

 **Shiho-Akemi:**

 _ **Ch.16:**_ _ **Eel, and What the hell is wrong with Zoro?**_

 **A: Thanks for voting! He's double checking himself, and Luffy, and he probably has a little bit of resentment.**

 **Joanne Frances Tiano Cajilig:**

 _ **Ch.16: Wow…**_

 **A: I hope that is a positive 'wow'! :D**

 **King-Dorado:**

 _ **Ch.16: I think Unaga would be a good name**_

 **A: You just barely snuck this in here, nice! Added to the bracket!**

 **Review Response end.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it! There were a lot of them though, after responding to them, this chapter is almost 10k words! Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner, but who knows? Until next time, have a great Spring and don't die!**


	18. Debut

**Hey loyal readers, Swordnoob here, back with another chapter of One Piece: Rebooted! I wanted to make this chapter waaaay longer because there was a scene I wanted to end at, but you would have also been waiting waaaay longer, and I saw a place where I could end it, so I did! Aren't I merciful? My charity aside, I've been trying to level up my writing skill a bit so if this chapter seems a bit...different, that's why. Let me know if it's an improvement(or not). Also, I address the issue of Eel's name in this chapter, but you'll have to read it to find out who won!**

 **Note: When there is a 'ding', that means someone is using Observation. Usually I'll also specify that they are using it, but when they get into fights I probably won't, and yes I stole this idea from the anime!**

 **Disclaimer: I am NOT bashing anyone's suggestion, I'm just following how I think the characters would react to said suggestion, I appreciated all the votes and I don't want anyone to think I hated them or something!**

 **P.S. Thanks to everyone who is following/favoriting! We're at over 250 favorites and over 300 follows! It feels like we're hitting a milestone every chapter! I'm so glad you guys like it, it really does keep me motivated!**

 **P.P.S. I don't own One Piece!**

 _ **The New World, Dressrosa**_

Inside the Royal Palace, Donquixote Doflamingo lounged on a fluffy pink couch, a devious smirk plastered on his face. On the table in front of him, several transponder snails were placed in a line, their eyes all focused intently on the Warlord.

"So *hick* Joker, why did you *hick* call this meeting *hick*?" A snail with a large, grey mustache and a tall, striped hat questioned.

"Are you drunk right now? It's barely ten in the morning!" Another mollusk reprimanded. This one had beady sunglasses and was chewing on a small cigar.

"Gugigigugi!" A different transponder, with a mane of hair sprouting from its shell, laughed cruelly. "That's quite funny coming from you, Mr. 'God of Fortune'."

"I don't care what you do on your own time, but when it comes down to business, have some class!" The cigar chewing snail intoned with a scowl. "As for you, 'Undertaker', I know a savage, such as yourself, doesn't know the meaning of the word!

"Can we please focus!" A new mollusk interrupted, the oversized bicorne on its shell almost falling off from the volume. "Obviously we're here to discuss the Reconstruction, and its effects."

"Chill out and enjoy the entertainment!" Yet another mollusk chuckled, the star shaped earrings on its solid gold shell shaking.

"I don't understand why we _need_ to discuss this," A distinctly female voice purred, the snail's eyes watching the proceedings with indifference. "Business has never been better."

"Well, not everyone can deal in prostitutes," Doflamingo pointed out, his smirk now strained. "The rest of us have undergone...hardships."

"You're one to talk of hardships!" The bicorn adorned mollusk exclaimed, frowning indignantly. "Between the Emperors and the Marines, I'm making more profit on my _legitimate_ dealings! At least you have protection from Kaido!"

"Pardon, I meant no offense," The Warlord soothed, leaning forward to rest his chin on his interlocked hands. "All I wanted to convey is that the developments of these few years have put a strain on most of our networks. Am I wrong?"

The only sound that greeted the Celestial Dragon was silence, the transponder snails all nodding in agreement, except two.

"Well it looks like there is nothing to be gained from this meeting, at least for me," The feminine voice sighed lightly, before the caller ended the connection.

"Haughty broad," The cigar chewing mollusk grumbled irritably. "Thinks she's better than us?"

"Don't be *hick* mad, we'll *hick* show her!" The moustached snail proclaimed jovially, before blinking in confusion. "What were we talking about again?"

"I was just about to tell you about my plan to rebalance the scales," Doflamingo smiled nefariously, spreading his arms as though he held the world between them.

"I don't believe I have anything to gain from this discussion either," A cocky, male voice suddenly declared from a mollusk that had a black ram with a disk hovering between its antlers etched in its shell on both sides. "But before I go, have you heard of the newest rookie from the East Blue?"

"Why should any of us care about some greenhorn from the weakest sea?" The golden shelled snail sneered dismissively.

"Because he is a 'D.'" The arrogant voice explained pointedly. "I'm sure you know why that's important, right, Joker?"

"Fuffuffuffu!" Doflamingo chucked, rearing his head back. "How interesting!"

"Oh, and he has the highest starting bounty ever recorded from the East Blue," The voice mentioned casually, before severing the connection.

"...What?"

 _ **The New World, Kalm Island**_

Arranged in varying stages of undress and consciousness, the Red Hair pirates lay on the floor of a clearing, surrounded by the leftovers of a party. Breaking through the tree line that surrounded it, a dark skinned man with spiky red hair walked into the space, waving a newspaper in his right hand.

"First Mate!" The man yelled, making sure to keep his tone respectful. "First Mate, the paper is here!"

"Keep it down, newbie!" An extremely chubby man responded jovially at an even higher volume. "The Cap'n's trying to sleep off last nights bender!"

' _You're being louder than me!'_ The spiky haired man thought incredulously, but simply nodded. "Yes, sir. Where is First Mate Benn?"

Picking up a bone from a large pile next him, the fat man threw a femur at another man, hitting him on the head. "Hey, Beckman, wake up!"

"Hmm?" The man sat up, double checking that his flintlock rifle was still next to him. Feeling the familiar stock, the pirate visibly relaxed. Reaching into his pocket, the slightly graying man lit up a cigarette and eyed his comrade in annoyance. "What? I'm trying to sleep off my hangover, Roo!"

"The rookie has the paper for you," Lucky Roo chuckled at his crewmate's irritation. After a moment of contemplation, the hefty man raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "And weren't you the one who told Rockstar to bring it to you first thing in the morning?"

Exhaling a plume of smoke, the corners of Beckman's mouth rose slightly. "Maybe."

Still weirded out by the fact that some of the most powerful pirates in the world were nursing hangovers and bickering like siblings, Rockstar walked over to his first mate, offering the paper.

"Thanks, greenhorn," Beckman nodded, accepting the tabloid.

As the newspaper was passed, three smaller papers fell out onto the ground.

"New bounties…" Trailing off, the pirate's cigarette dropped from his gaping mouth, falling to the ground. "So you finally started your journey, huh?" Shifting, Beckmann turned to stare at the form of a redheaded man slumped against a rock, a partially empty bottle of booze dripping alcohol onto his pants. "Hey, Captain, wake up! You're gonna want to see this!"

"Ugh, the only thing I want to see is darkness," Shanks moaned, sitting up, only to grab his head in one hand. "Just let me see it so I can go back to sleep."

Handing his Captain the poster, Beckman waited with a grin, knowing the man's attitude was about make a one-eighty. At first the Emperor looked irritated that he was woken up just to be shown some newbie's bounty. As his eyes stopped swimming enough that he could fully make out the image, he frowned, feeling as if the face was familiar. Finally, the pirate's face settled into a nostalgic grin when he recognized the hat that had once been his.

"Not too shabby, for a newbie," Shanks chuckled as he stood up. "Wake up everybody, we gotta party!"

Various groans and moans came from the assembled pirates.

"We just _had_ a party!"

"If I ever see a bottle of rum again it'll be too soon…"

"Listen up, we _have_ to party!" Shanks insisted, holding up the poster so the rest of his crew could see. "Luffy just got his first bounty!"

"That rowdy kid from Dawn Island?!" A man that looked like a bodybuilder and had a monkey on his shoulder questioned, remembering the energetic child. "He really did it?"

"Yeah, so do you understand now?" The Emperor responded, his grin widening.

Instantly, the sluggish men exploded into action, grabbing discarded instruments, half forgotten bottles of rum, and other pirates as they forced them up, explaining the news.

"Get the booze!"

"Make the food!"

"Start the music!"

"~Yo-hohoho, yo-hohoho!~"

 _ **Straw Hats, Nojiko Side**_

Floating lazily through the perfect day, a small, single masted fishing boat sailed on the calm waters of the East Blue. In stark contrast to the calm weather, the boat was a flurry of activity, with four people sparring on the deck, while a fifth shot bolts of purple lightning intermittently from his head at the dueling forms.

"I'm going to beat you this time, Nami!" Nojiko declared, as she blocked an over head blow from her sister's staff.

"Talk is cheap, so why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Nami goaded as she spun to dodge a slash from her sister. "One thousand Beris, you game?"

"You're on!" The bluette accepted, resisting as a wave of Conquerors washed over her. "Damn that power is annoying!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed," The navigator smirked as she easily ignored the pressure.

"That's so unfair!" Nojiko complained, even as she ducked from a strike that would have knocked her out.

"Pirate, remember?" Nami teased, kicking her sibling in the chest and throwing her back.

"Eel, now!" Luffy suddenly yelled.

Immediately, the Seaking jumped out of the sea, causing a massive wave to wash over the boat, sending everyone sprawling.

Standing up with an irritated look on her face, Nami stormed over to Luffy. "Isn't the Conquerors enough?!"

"Nope," Luffy said easily, before he paused, raised his index finger, and began to recite from memory. "You must be prepared for any instance, and be able to react to the ones you haven't.

Nami's retort died in her throat, as she gained a look of utter shock. "Did...did you just say something mildly intelligent?!"

Before Luffy was able to respond, a hilt slammed into Nami's temple, knocking her out.

"And you also shouldn't get distracted during a fight," Nojiko grinned, a pleased look on her face. "I guess I just became a thousand Beri richer!"

On the other side of the boat, Zoro and Koby stood, staring each other down. The swordsman appeared to be completely relaxed and unprepared for an assault, but, to the trained eye, he was coiled like a spring, ready to lash out in attack or defense at a moments notice. The cabin boy, on the other hand, was the embodiment of exhaustion, sweat coated his skin from head to toe, his breathes came in pants and wheezes, and his whole body shook just from staying upright.

"Come on, is that all you have?" Zoro prompted, his eyes falling in disappointment. "You just have to touch me, then you can rest."

"You...ha...say that...like...ha...it's...ha...easy…" Koby huffed, trying to think of a way to catch the first mate. ' _He's way too fast, there's no way I can catch him normally. So that just leaves…"_

Removing his sweat soaked shirt, Koby waited with the clothing in his hand. Tensing, Zoro prepared for the teen's attempt. As the time stretched from seconds into minutes, the swordsman became increasingly irritated, until he finally snapped.

"Are you going to attack, or am I going to make you do push-ups til sundown?!" Zoro exclaimed, scowling at the teen's seeming cowardice. "I want to take a nap before then!"

The moment the first mate began to speak, Koby dashed at Zoro, readying his shirt. Caught off balance by the cabin boy's timing, Zoro tried to run away again, as he had been doing for the past three days, but Koby was already too close and the boat was too small. Kicking low, Koby forced the swordsman to jump over his leg, or be tagged.

"Better, but still not fast enough," Zoro goaded with a slight smile.

Looking back, the first mate expected to see the cabin boy, but was met with a view of the rosette's shirt instead.

' _Clever…'_ The swordsman thought as he twirled, anticipating Koby to be behind him.

"Ding!" Zoro's eyes widened in realization as his Observation alerted the swordsman to the grasping hand coming from behind, aiming to grab his ankle. Kicking his leg forward, the first mate barely evaded the clawing limb and landed on the deck with a heavy thump.

"Dammit!" Koby shouted in frustration as he realized that even trickery had failed to capture the ex-Marine. Falling to his knees, the cabin boy began to punch the floorboards, releasing his pent up aggression. "It's impossible!"

"Koby!" Zoro yelled to the cabin boy, who looked up at him bitterly.

"I know, go do push-ups…" The rosette moaned despondently as he assumed the position.

"You pass!" Zoro exclaimed, a pleasantly surprised smile on his face.

"What do you mean? I didn't catch you!" Koby yelled, relaxing momentarily to stare in confusion at the swordsman.

"No, but you forced me to use my Observation," The first mate explained, sitting down and laying his back against the railing.

Now even more bewildered, the rosette relaxed completely, elated he passed, even if he didn't know why. "What's Observation?"

Zoro considered this question for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders. "It's like...seeing, but not."

Koby waited, assuming the swordsman was going to elaborate, only to sweatdrop, instead, when the first mate began to snore loudly. Staring at the man, Koby heaved an exaggerated sigh. "That's _so_ helpful."

Adding onto his exasperation, the cabin boy suddenly felt the, now commonplace, sensation of a weight slamming into his head, brought on by Luffy's ability. Briefly, Koby wondered if it was related to the 'Observation' Zoro had mentioned, before discounting it. After all, how could subjugating people and so-called 'not seeing' be related?

"Can you stop that?" Koby asked, turning to face the rubber-man. "It's not as stressful as it used to be, but it's still annoying."

"Sorry, I didn't think you would catch Zoro that fast," Luffy admitted, his grin blaring. "You've only been at it for eight hours today."

Now even more exhausted by the mention of how long it had been, Koby trudged over to Nojiko and plopped down next to her. Happily accepting a glass of water from the bluette, the cabin boy looked up at the sky, enjoying the peace after being worked to the bone. Only a few minutes later, a yell ripped through the air, startling the teen.

"I'm boooooorrrrred!" Luffy complained, hanging limply over the railing.

"Don't randomly shout for no reason!" Nojiko sputtered irritably, her shirt soaked from the water she had spilled on herself due to the surprise.

"Can't you just relax for a bit?!" Koby asked in exasperation. ' _Huh, I never would have talked that way to my previous Captain,'_ The rosette reflected with a shiver as he remembered Alvida.

"Sorry," Luffy said unremorsefully, as he bounced around like a toddler on a sugar high. "I'm just used to crazy weather and even crazier adventures!"

"Is there something we can do to distract you?" Nojiko questioned after taking a calming breath. "Because simply watching you is making me tired."

Jumping back on his feet after running around on his hands, the captain gained a excited look. "We could play a game!"

Trying to reconcile the image of the titan of battle from before with the childish teen in front of him, Koby simply stared at the rubber-man, bewildered. While the cabin boy tried to connect the two faucets of his captain's character, Nojiko snapped her fingers, bringing everyone's attention to her pridefully smirking face.

"We could give Eel a better name!" The bluette declared, causing the Seaking to cock his head in confusion.

"Bwa?"

"They think it's a bad name," Luffy explained to the newest Strawhat.

"Wa!"

"I know it's dumb," The pirate agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "Just go with it."

"There you go again, making weird sounds!" Nojiko shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Luffy. "And why do I feel like you're insulting me?!"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy questioned, eyeing the bluette like she had just grown a second head.

"Captain, you just made a bunch of noises that I don't even think a human could produce," Koby explained slowly, unsure if the rubber-man was messing with them.

"No, I was talking to Eel," Luffy stated stubbornly, his eyebrows knitting together.

"What do you mean...talking…?" Nojiko asked, a slightly disturbed look on her face, her eyes momentarily flipping to the Seaking. "He's an animal…"

"Oh!" Luffy brightened in understanding. "It must be that Sound of All Stuff, or whatever Gramps called it!"

"Wait, are you saying you can actually talk to him, like you are with us?!" Koby exclaimed, an astounded look on his face. "Tha-that's insane!"

"Yup!" Luffy nodded as though commenting on the weather.

"Can you not just drop nonsensical facts so casually?!" Nojiko pleaded while gesturing in bewilderment.

"Uh, I'll try?" The rubber-man said as though he was confused why they were shocked. "Can we play the game now?"

"I suppose I could use a distraction after that revelation," Koby nodded, as he gained a thoughtful expression. "But that means Eel can actually tell you if he likes the name…"

"Nope, don't think about it too much, let's just begin!" Nojiko insisted, making a cutting motion with her hand.

"I'll start!" Luffy declared confidently.

"But you already gave him a name!" Koby started to protest, but simply trailed off, knowing it would be pointless. "Go ahead…"

Luffy put his finger to his head, ready to think especially hard to give his newest friend an even better name than the first one. Suddenly, Luffy was brought back to his senses by being doused with water. Looking up, the rubber-man met the concerned gaze of Koby, who was holding a bucket in a white knuckled grip.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked, while wondering if he should start a splash fight.

"You're head was smoking!" Koby yelled in a mixture of perplexity and worry.

"Oh, it does that when I think really hard," Luffy laughed, happy it wasn't anything serious.

"Are you even human?!" Nojiko and Koby exclaimed, their eyes popping out of their heads in astonishment.

"No, I'm a monster!" The rubber-man corrected proudly, as if it was common knowledge.

"Is that something to be happy about?!" The two responded in shock.

Upon hearing their question, all playfulness vanished from Luffy's face. As he stared at them for a moment without saying a word, a feeling of seriousness exuded from the teen, exacerbated by the stark contrast to his usual playfulness.

"I would rather have the strength to protect what I want to and be called a monster, than not," The pirate stated, as his mind replayed the ending of the Paramount war. "Hell, I wouldn't even care if I was called a demon or devil."

Instantly, Koby's mouth slammed shut, a light of agreement overtaking his eyes. Nojiko looked away, her gaze eventually resting on her sister's prone form.

' _Is that what you decided too?'_ The bluette wondered idly, thinking back to when Bellemere had...

Seeing the rapid change in temperament, Luffy smiled at the pair, the grim feeling that had surrounded him banished like mist before the rising sun.

"Don't be so gloomy!" The teen exclaimed, spreading his arms. "Look at this!"

Hoping to cheer his friends up, Luffy removed his bangles(apologizing to Garp as he did so), then grabbed his cheeks and began twisting his face into a multitude of outrageous forms.

"Pfttt!" The duo tried to hold in their laughter, but after a few more moments of watching the show they fell to the deck, cackling. "Hahaha!"

Eventually, they sobered, returned to their positions against the railing, and looked expectantly at the rubber-man.

"Give us your name already!" Nojiko prompted, a small smile brightening her face.

"Yeah! Let's hear it!" Koby encouraged, flashing a thumbs up in the rubber-man's direction.

"Bwa!" Eel exclaimed, staring at Luffy.

"Okay, okay, I'll go!" The pirate captain agreed, turning to the Seaking. "What about…"

The teen paused dramatically.

"...Lil' Shanks!" Luffy announced confidently, waiting for his audience's approval. "You know, cuz you ate his arm, so you have a little bit of him inside you?"

Eel, Nojiko, and Koby all stared at him with blank looks.

"What?"

"I don't get it…"

"Ba!" The sea monster shook his head in the universal motion of 'no'. In response, Luffy stuck his lip out with a childish pout.

"Ba! You guys don't know good names when you hear them!" The rubber-man complained, before pointing at the cabin boy. "Koby, you're next!"

"Okay, so how about…" The cabin boy sat tapping his lips thoughtfully for several moments as he pondered the question. Suddenly smirking confidently, Koby eyed the Seaking. "Krishna! I think it means 'dark' in another language, matching your scales. Also, it sounds _way_ cooler than 'Eel'!"

"Fist of Love!" Luffy shouted as he punched the cabin boy's head, sticking his tongue out all the while. "It does not!"

Now accustomed to head injuries, Koby mostly ignored the attack, instead pulling his eyelid down in the rubber-man's direction. "Does too!"

Before they were able to continue their childish squabble, Nojiko got in the middle and pointed meaningfully at the sea monster. "It doesn't matter what either of _you_ think, only what _he_ thinks.

Clamming up in shame, the two teens looked expectantly at the Seaking, both sure that he would side with them. Mulling over the suggestion, Eel seemed unsure, but, once again, shook his massive head, rejecting the name.

Crestfallen, Koby lightly poked Nojiko's shoulder, dutifully ignoring his captain's smug grin. "You're turn…"

"Don't pout, Koby, it was a good try!" The bluette encouraged. Looking up at the massive sea monster, Nojiko was reminded of a story about a huge monster that protected an island from other giant creatures that Bellemere had once told her as a bedtime story. Enlightened by that memory, the woman began to speak, but then partially corrected her choice. "What do you think of Eelzilla? I was going to try Godzilla, but you're more of an 'Eel' and less of a 'God' I would think."

Appearing as taken aback as a giant sea creature could, Eel sat contemplating if the simplicity of 'Eel' was better than the implications of 'Eelzilla'. After a much longer deliberation, Eel once again vetoed the suggestion, believing he would probably still be called 'Eel' anyways, and, if he was going to change the name his master-no, his friend, had given him, it would have to be much different and defining.

"Damn!" Nojiko cursed when the Seaking declined. "I really thought I had it!"

"Well, it wasn't really that different…" Koby pointed out. Seeing the bluette's face darken, the cabin boy backpedalled rapidly while waving his arms. "B-but it, uh, was still, uh, a great suggestion!"

Staring at the teen a bit longer, just to make him sweat a little, Nojiko turned back to the rubber-man with a sigh. "I guess it's your turn again…"

"Are you just going to leave me out of this?" Zoro's voice suddenly asked, causing the group, including Eel, to jump in surprise.

"Wha-don't do that! You're as bad as the Captain!" Koby complained, clutching at his heart.

"Seriously!" Nojiko agreed, once more dabbing at the water marks on her shirt.

"Bwa!" Eel declared, narrowing his eye slits at the swordsman.

Seeing their reactions, Luffy simply chuckled, happy to just have the familiar bickering he was used to back. After a moment of non response, Zoro raised an eyebrow at the quartet. "So...can I have a turn?" He asked patiently, like an older brother talking to his siblings.

"Go for it, Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed enthusiastically, smiling the whole time.

"Yeah!" Koby agreed, the rubber-man's enthusiasm proving to be quite infectious.

"I suppose..." Nojiko said noncommittally, still annoyed by the first mate's first impression.

"Bwa…?" The Seaking squirmed, giving the impression of shrugged shoulders.

Thinking back in an effort to come up with a name, Zoro idly remembered some of his favorite dishes, causing an idea to form. Changing it slightly, so it actually _sounded_ like a name, the green haired teen patted his swords to get their attention. "I think Unaga is a strong name."

Eel's reaction was immediate, and violent. Growling angrily, the Seaking dove beneath the waves, flicking his tail hard to send a glob of water slamming into the swordsman. Staggering from the force of the blow, Zoro's face contorted in shock, not understanding what had caused the volatile outburst, but was otherwise unharmed. Sitting in confused and surprised silence, the young adults eyed each other, trying to see if anyone had an idea why Eel had been angered by that name, when all the others had been accepted and denied easily. From the shared looks, it was obvious no one had a clue, so they all returned to their previous places on the ship and rested, or, in Luffy's case, made sure that the aura of his newest comrade didn't get too far away from the ship.

A few minutes later, the sky darkened and released a torrent of water on the unsuspecting passengers of the fishing boat. Looking up at the grey clouds, Luffy frowned slightly, not remembering a storm ever appearing so quickly in the East Blue. In his usually easygoing attitude, the rubber-man waved off his sudden unease, as if something was whispering to him on the wind, instead enjoying the soothing patter of rain on his bare skin.

As the storm increased in ferocity, the waves began to rise higher and higher, while the rain came down harder and harder, finally pulling Nami from the oblivion of unconsciousness. Grabbing at her pounding head, the navigator was about to yell at her sister for the sneak attack, when she registered the intense storm raging all around their small boat. At first, she thought it was simply some exceptionally nasty rain storm...until she read the pull of the currents.

"Luffy!" The redhead exclaimed, her voice on the urge of panic. "You need to bring Eel up and have him drag us to the nearest island! Zoro! Hoist the sail! Nojiko! See if you can give us a little reprieve! Koby! Help Zoro!" Seeing the figures on the deck simply stare at her in surprise at the demands, Nami's anger exploded. "Now, before we die!"

With that second outburst, the crew dashed into action, worry flirting across each of their faces. Running to the bow, Nojiko knelt, put her hands together, and closed her eyes, an aqua light slowly beginning to outline her form. Luffy, only a step behind the bluette, didn't have time to question the supernatural display, even if he had the desire to. Leaning over the railing, the rubber-man sent a wave of Conquerors towards Eel as he called for the Seaking to surface and help them.

"Ding!" Using his Observation, Luffy could sense the roiling emotions of the sea monster, and his unwillingness to surface. As the rain and ocean around them calmed somewhat and allowed a modicum of visibility, Koby let loose a shriek of fear, distracting the teen. After looking up, however, Luffy didn't think he could fault the cabin boy for being scared. Open like the mouth of some cosmic horror, a vortex three hundred feet wide guzzled innumerable amounts of water, flotsam, and sea life, sending it to the crushing depths of the ocean.

"Where did that come from?!" Koby exclaimed, his body shaking in terror. "I don't wanna die!"

"It doesn't matter," Zoro stated evenly as he hauled on the rigging, forcing the sail closed. "Just do what the witch says, and we'll make it through. She's the best navigator in the East Blue, maybe the world."

Seeing the steadfast belief in the redhead, Koby took a deep breath to calm his fear, refusing to panic, so long as no one else did. Pulling on his own line of rigging, the cabin boy tried to mimic the swordsman's casual ease, but was having trouble simply holding it in place as it lashed about like a writhing serpent. Suddenly, the line was pulled taut, as Nojiko grabbed the rope with strength belied by her lithe body. Together, the two barely managed to close the sail and tie it off, falling to the ground in exhaustion.

Walking over to the duo, Zoro looked down at them, a hint of a smirk on his lips, even as the storm raged around them. "What-did you have trouble closing the sail?"

"Obviously!" Koby and Nojiko yelled in tandem.

Now actually smirking, the first mate offered them both a hand, pulling the two teens to their feet. "No time to be resting!"

"Luffy!" Nami suddenly yelled out, the vessel beginning to slightly list towards the massive whirlpool, as it was more strongly caught in the vortex's pull. "Where is Eel?! We need him to pull us out of the current!"

"He's upset about something and won't listen!" Luffy yelled back, grinning despite the dire situation. "I'll just have to do it instead!"

" _What?!"_ Everyone but Zoro demanded, disbelief shining out from their faces.

 **So there we go, a bit of a cliffhanger, but it's not too bad.**

 **If it wasn't clear to anyone, the Lord of the Coast's name shall stay as 'Eel' from here on out. If anyone is curious, this is how the votes ended up:**

 **As is: 10 (I'm honestly shocked you guys liked this name so much!)**

 **Lil' Shanks: 2**

 **Krishna: 3**

 **Eelzilla: 3**

 **Unaga: 3**

 **Thanks to everyone who voted! Maybe I'll do this every once in awhile when I'm conflicted?**

 **Anyways, there were a couple of questions I felt I should answer right now, to clear up some things.**

 **Matt: Is the blond guy at the beginning of this chapter Helmeppo?**

 **A: Yes! Congrats to you and the others that figured it out! I like to play the 'Who's That Character?!' game. As you can tell, I also did it with this chapter, but I won't tell who they are until someone guesses correctly!**

 **Bookmeister999: Where did Zoro get the treasure? Is that something that I need to reread cuz it's there? Or is it something yet to be disclosed?**

 **A: No rereading necessary(unless you want to, of course)! Basically, Zoro got a giant, steel piggy bank made to store his money, one that was only able to be opened by him cutting it open, which only he would be able to do. It wasn't really important, but he did explain it as a joke, to mess with Nami.**

 **Guest: When will you update?**

 **A: I update pretty randomly, but it seems to take me about a month.**

 **Once again, thanks for reading and let me know what you loved, hated, and everything in between! Swordnoob out!**

 **P.S. Thanks to Kippysaurus for bearing this chapter!**


	19. Storms and Negotions

**Welcome back friends, to another chapter of One Piece: Rebooted!**

 **I apologize for the delay, this chapter was a pain to write for some reason, but I'm going to cut this short so we can get into it. And, as always, I don't own One Piece!**

 **Thanks to Kippysaurus for the beta read!**

 _ **Previously:**_

" _He's upset about something and won't listen!" Luffy yelled back despite the dire situation. "I'll just have to do it instead!"_

"What?!" _Everyone but Zoro demanded, disbelief shining out from their faces._

 _ **Now:**_

" _Are you insane?!"_ Koby demanded, staring at his new Captain's smile with mounting frustration. "Did you see the size of that whirlpool?!"

"I know you're freakishly strong, but even you must have limits!" Nojiko insisted in a desperate attempt to grab some remnant of logic.

" _And_ you're a Devil Fruit user, you'll just sink!" Nami yelled, still astonished by the levels of stupidity her captain could stoop to.

Ignoring the simultaneous outbursts of denial, Luffy made eye contact with the only person who had withheld their opinion, Zoro. Quicker than any vocal conversation, the two oldest members of the crew came to a decision with only a few facial expressions, ended by two matching nods of understanding. Immediately after, the two moved in sync, Luffy quickly tying a rope around his waist and Zoro intercepting the other passengers from stopping the rubber-man.

"Stop, trust in Luffy!" Zoro exclaimed, using two of his blades to block the rushing forms.

Nami stopped short, hearing the complete lack of concern in the swordsman's voice, and moved back to the helm, hoping to keep the boat from being sucked any farther into the vortex's grip, trusting that the swordsman knew something she didn't. Koby stopped as well, but mostly out of fear of the first mate. The cabin boy was pretty sure that none of his new crew mates would actually hurt him out of malicious intent, but...old habits die hard, and habits to avoid being abused died even harder.

Nojiko, either pushed by a desire to not see someone kill themselves in front of her, or simply to disregard Zoro, slid under the green haired teen's outstretched swords, and launched herself into a flying tackle, intending to stop the rubber-man from jumping into the ocean. Luffy, seeing the bluette barreling right for him, simply grinned reassuringly and held up a hand, making a peace sign. The next second, Nojiko was slamming into the time-traveller's body...only to fly right through the after image and crash her head into the railing.

"Splash!" The sound of something hitting the water was barely heard above the raging storm, and Nojiko's heart sunk, just like she was sure the teen's body was about to as well. After a few moments, however, the vessel suddenly bucked to the right, as if something -or someone- was dragging the boat away from the ocean's maw. Ignoring the pounding coming from her right cheek, the bluette jumped to her feet and leaned over the railing, joined by Koby, hoping to see Luffy somehow still afloat. Like a yellow speck in the middle of the dark, heaving ocean, Nojiko was able to make out Luffy's straw hat flapping in the howling wind. Just as the bluette breathed a sigh of relief, she was suddenly pushed to the side as Zoro copied his Captain, and dove over the side of the ship.

As he had jumped off the ship, Luffy gritted his teeth, preparing himself for the strain he was about to experience. While it appeared the Sea Stone bangles he wore didn't bother him, they did, _oh boy_ , did they. Imagine a pair of leeches attached to your arms, constantly draining your energy; that's what it was like for Luffy to wear the jewelry. It was worth it, though, anything was better than watching his friends...no, it won't help to agonize over past events, what happened, happened.

Shaking his head, Luffy smacked into the water, and the feeling of having two leeches siphoning his energy was amplified a hundred fold. Ignoring the pain, the rubber-man copied the form Lucky Roo had showed him so long ago, when the chubby man had tried to teach him how to swim. Heaving his arms and legs, Luffy could feel the rope tied to his waist pull taut as he continued to battle the crashing waves and screaming wind, moving in the direction of the island he could barely sense on the edge of his Observation.

"...Hunger…"

Briefly, the teen thought he heard a sigh of inanition, but assumed it had come from himself, especially since spots of black had begun to swim across his vision. As he continued to flail his limbs in a semblance of freestyle, Luffy barely heard a splash sound off to his right through his waterlogged ears. Turning to get a glimpse of the cause, the pirate saw a flash of vibrant green through the roiling water, and knew it must be his first mate. With the added power of the swordsman, Luffy could finally feel himself making progress against the whirlpool's grip.

Twisting his mouth into an exhausted smirk, the rubber-man redoubled his efforts, even as his arms and legs began to tingle with the familiar sensation of over exertion. Just as he was sure they were about to fully break from the vortex's grasp, however, the pull of the planetary drain suddenly doubled in strength, not enough for the pirates to be dragged backwards, but enough to be completely stalled once more. As his ears silenced, and eyes darkened completely, Luffy continued to doggedly swim forward, hating his own weakness and arrogance. He got a second chance, and he, and his friends, were going to die to a fucking whirlpool, in the _East Blue_. How utterly pathetic, since he escaped a similar situation easily, the first time.

As he was about to completely black out, Luffy felt something fleshy lift him upwards and out of the water. Comforted by the soft substance, the rubber-man rolled to his side and fell asleep, twitching in exhaustion.

0o0o0o

"Wake up, _scum._ I'm not through with you yet." A hate-filled voice ground out, followed by a meaty smack.

Luffy's eyes shot open, awoken by the gruff voice and burning on his cheek. ' _No! He can't be here!"_

Just as that thought ran through his head, the rubber-man groaned in pain, as he finally registered the multitude of wounds covering his body from head to toe. Ignoring the throbbing coming from, well, everywhere, Luffy tried to twist his body in the direction of the voice, only to realize his limbs were clamped to a flat 'bed' of metal that was coated with Sea Stone, rendering him immobile.

"It's useless, _trash,_ don't even try," The voice spoke up again, not even bothering to hide the malice in it.

Turning his head, Luffy finally got a look at his captor, a very tall, bulky man with a beard and thin mustache, smoking a cigar. The figure wore a solid white, two-piece suit, a white baseball cap with 'Marine' written in navy across the front, a Marine's 'Justice' coat on his shoulders, and black loafers. Returning the man's stare of utter hatred with his own, Luffy scowled so hard the muscles in his face began to ache.

"Where am I?! How am I here?!" Luffy screamed at the man, before remembering something even more important. "Where is my crew, Akainu?!"

The Marine seemed to take great pleasure in hearing Luffy's yells of hate and concern. Releasing a wave of bloodlust, Sakazuki smiled, as if he knew what he was going to say next would hurt the pirate more than any physical wound. "They're dead." The Admiral stated simply, as if naming the day of the week. "All eight of their corpses are probably rotting as we speak."

Upon hearing his answer, Luffy wanted to scream and yell, to rip the Marine in front of him to pieces, but he just...couldn't. He couldn't even strain against his bonds, so he just relaxed as his body went numb. He had failed again, and as the pirate realized that, he felt something deep within him snap, leaving his body even weaker than it had been.

Ignorant that his captive was no longer listening, Akainu continued on. "As for where you are, you're in a special cell in Marineford. And you've been here for several days in a coma after our battle." The Marine smiled again, seeming to revel in the thought of hurting the rubber-man and his friends. "Now we're going to use you to lure out the rest of your...friends, and finally wipe any remnants of rebellion from this world!"

Raising his head, Luffy looked at the Marine with lifeless eyes, an image so wrong that even Akainu shivered momentarily. "What?"

"Just like your _brother_ ," Akainu spat, overcoming his momentary trance as a zealous rage clouded his eyes once more. "I'm going to use you to pull those damn Revolutionaries out of hiding, and destroy them!" The Admiral relaxed slightly, a vile grin spreading across his face. "And maybe that Hancock bitch will show up too, and I can finally get those Celestial Dragons off my back!"

"Hancock…?" The rubber-man questioned hollowly, as yet another stab of incorporeal pain shot through his heart.

The Marine chuckled darkly. "Saint Camael has missed his favorite... _toy_."

The thought of the Pirate Empress being abused filled the rubber-man with an unfamiliar, but not unpleasant, desire to protect his fellow pirate captain from the horrors the World Government would inflict upon her. Coupled with this new compulsion, was another feeling he was _quite_ acquainted with: pure, unadulterated fury.

As the two emotions spread along his tired body, Luffy felt whatever had snapped inside him melt, only to be cast again, even stronger than before. Ignoring the pain from his wounds and the utter exhaustion that seemed to seep into the depths of his very soul, the black haired teen began to strain against his bonds, determined to escape, or kill himself in the process.

Surprise flickered briefly across the Fleet Admiral's eyes as his captive seemed to gain a second wind in the face of absolute despair. "That pink haired brat did say you wouldn't break so easily. Good." Akainu's body seemed to lighten at the thought. "Evil bastards deserve to watch their world burn around them...I wonder if you'll stay sane after watching your father's body melt slowly into a puddle of viscera?"

"One of us will be dead long before then!" Luffy declared, even as the crack of two dislocating wrists echoed morbidly around the plain cell.

"No, not yet," The Marine denied, grabbing the rubber-man around the neck. "I still need you alive, but I don't need you conscious." Flexing his hand, Akainu turned his hand into magma and began to choke his captive.

Refusing to give the Fleet Admiral even an iota of satisfaction, Luffy continued to fight against his bonds even as darkness began to encroach on his vision once more. Eventually, he lost his battle with consciousness, and collapsed for the second time that day.

 _ **Orange Town, Organ Islands**_

"-fy!"

Luffy felt himself buoy up from the realm of unconsciousness, and the first thing he felt was the lack of severe pain shooting through every nerve in his body. The second was, while he still felt tired, even that seemed to be fading from his muscles as he continued to lay on the hard surface. The next thing the rubber-man noticed was the yelling happening all around him.

"He's just sleeping!" A timid, yet masculine voice called out.

' _Coby,'_ Luffy thought in recognition.

"Why was he sleeping while in the ocean?! Is he an idiot?!" Came another male voice, although this one was much more confident, and had a sharp, almost cocky, edge to it.

' _Zoro,'_ The pirate captain mused as a tremor of confusion ran through him. ' _But...how did I get here? Was that all a dream? It felt so real…'_

"Bong!" The sound of flesh striking flesh pierced the momentary silence.

"Don't ask stupid questions!" An overbearing female voice berated, words dripping with irritation.

' _Nami, too?_ ' The rubber-man questioned himself, still feeling the phantom burns from Akainu's hand. ' _It must have been a mystery memory.'_

Finally understanding the situation, Luffy opened his eyes and sat up. The teen was laying on a well-worn dock surrounded by all his friends, new and old alike. Tied off to his right, Luffy was saddened to see the fishing boat they had stol-er- _borrowed,_ badly damaged and barely staying afloat. Past the wall of bodies that was his friends, the rubber-man could see rows of simple, but well maintained, houses. Oddly enough, the pirate could only sense about twenty auras nearby, even though the city was clearly meant for ten times that many people. Overhead, the sky was still overcast, but there was no sign of the monolithic storm that had assaulted them.

"Obviously he's an idiot!" Nami finished, her tone suggesting it was a law of the universe.

Immediately, the pier was covered in water from the force of everyone's sweat drop.

"That's...gross," Luffy stated, causing a mini tornado to form as everyone's body whirled to look at him. Unfortunately for the pirate, he had been at the epicenter of the bodily rain, and was now soaked in it.

"Never mind that!" Nojiko yelled, dramatically pointing her finger at the black haired teen. "How are you fine already?!"

Now it was Nojiko's turn for everyone to stare at her. Even the strange mixture of baby fat and slight gauntness, that Coby exhibited and the demonic, yet playful face of Eel met her own with an unimpressed gaze.

"What?!" The bluette demanded, slightly unnerved by their combined stare.

"It's because I'm a monster," Luffy chirped from his spot on the floor. "At least, that's what everyone says, anyways."

"Oh, right…" Nojiko sighed sheepishly, idly twirling one of her sapphire locks.

After his explanation, the teen jumped to his feet and ran through a quick series of stretches to finish easing the last bit of tension out of his muscles. Once he was satisfied, Luffy grabbed his straw hat from where it dangled on his back, and pushed it back on to the crown of his head, where it belonged.

Turning slightly to face Nami and Zoro, Luffy smiled questioningly to them. "So, what happened while I was out?"

"Well," The navigator began. "Just as you fell unconscious, Eel finally realized the danger you were in and grabbed you in his mouth to save you, and so he could help pull the ship."

"Koby thought he ate you and freaked out," Nojiko managed to cut in before doubling over in laughter. "You should've seen his face!"

In response Koby blushed, before crossing his arms in a childish pout. "Like you were any better."

Grabbing the cabin boy in a headlock, Nojiko started rubbing her knuckles into the pinkette's scalp. "What was that, lil' bro?"

"N-nothing!" Koby managed to stutter out through the assault.

"I thought so," The woman smirked, releasing her adoptive brother.

"As we were saying," Zoro stated, hoping to bring everyone back into focus. "Me and Eel pulled the boat all the way here, but, as you can probably see, we were a bit... _enthusiastic_ in our efforts _._ "

"Therefore," Nami continued for the swordsman. "Were going to either need to repair this ship, or _commandeer_ a new one."

"Okay, then let's go!" Luffy proclaimed, heading off confidently in the direction of the auras he sensed earlier, before freezing mid-step and turning around to look at Eel. "Thanks for helping us even though you were mad. Take a nice rest while we go get help."

"Bwa, bwa!" The Seaking bellowed, rolling his eyes in a 'thanks captain obvious' way. Eel then shot Zoro a glare before resting his head on the dock where Luffy had laid.

That taken care of, the group continued on their way. Once the raven haired teen got a clearer view of the town, something began to tingle in the back of his mind. Instead of trying to pull the memory to the front of his mind, Luffy simply shrugged it off and cocked his head in Nami's direction.

"My brain feels fuzzy," The pirate stated, making the redhead's eyebrow rise in response. "Do you know why that is?"

"Probably because we've been here before," Nami explained with surprising patience. "This is Orange Town."

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed as he pounded his fist in remembrance. "It's where we first met Booger!"

"I think you mean Buggy," Zoro corrected, but he couldn't hide the smirk on his face.

"You don't mean Buggy the Clown...do you?" Koby asked, a shiver of fear running down his spine. "He has a bounty of fifteen million Beris and the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit."

"How do you know that, Koby?" Nojiko asked, shocked he could rattle off such information.

"Well," The cabin boy began, twiddling his thumbs nervously from the sudden attention. "Alvida made me memorize the wanted list, so if we ran into enemy pirates she would know whether to run or fight."

"Wow, you're actually really smart, huh?" Luffy grinned with pride at his crewmate.

Koby rubbed the back of his head while smiling bashfully. "It's nothing, really." Suddenly the pinkette froze after registering everything the rubber-man said. "Wait. What do you mean by 'actually'?"

As if he didn't hear him, Luffy simply laughed and continued on.

"No, I'm serious, what did y-"

"Oh? What do we have here?" A high pitched, blustering voice arose from the rooftop of a nearby bar, interrupting Koby's demand. "A bunch of flashy new subordinates, or dull little victims?"

Following the sound of the voice, the crew was greeted by the form of a blue haired man wearing a red and white striped shirt, teal pants that were held up by a dark green sash and tucked into brown, pointed shoes. On his back, he had a Captain's coat that hung from his shoulders like a cape. Proving he was a pirate, he wore a bicorne on his head with a Jolly Roger in the center with his hair hanging from the sides like tassels. The most striking part of the pirate, however, was his face. Over each of his eyes were red markings that were partially overlapped by the pair of crossbones that made an 'X' in the middle of his face. Finishing his outlandish outfit, the man wore deep red lipstick, and had a huge, red nose not unlike that of a clown.

While the circus-themed outlaw leered down at them, Koby gulped audibly. "Yup, that's definitely Buggy the Clown."

Suddenly, the cabin boy felt two hands rest on his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it, we can handle him," Zoro and Nojiko reassured in tandem.

"Hey, don't copy me!" They both yelled at the other in sync once more.

"What did I just say?!" As the two finished their sentence at the same time, the two growled at one another as electricity seemed to spark between them.

In response to their spat, Buggy began to laugh. "Gyahaha! Flashy indeed! So, have you all come to join my merry band of miscreants?"

"Hell no!" Luffy declared, an easygoing smile seemingly stuck on his face. "We just need a ship, or a shipwrong! Can you help us out, Big Nose?"

"Oh no, they're dead now."

"Too bad, we could use some more men after last week's battle."

"Rest in pieces, Dennis, you were one crazy son of a bitch."

As the motley assortment of people behind Buggy talked among themselves, the pirate captain's face became doused in shadow, as if the man was deciding how to painfully kill the teen in front of him.

"Do you think he has hearing problems like you, Nojiko?" Luffy asked, concern coating his voice.

"Excuse me?!" Nojiko screamed, as her hair began to float from the aqua aura that suddenly surrounded her.

"Oi, just because you're flashy doesn't mean you can ignore me!" Buggy exclaimed, pulling a trio of daggers from...somewhere. _Again?!_

"See this is what I'm talking about, I _just_ asked you a question," Luffy responded, seemingly oblivious to their ire.

"Just until he's unconscious, then I'll stop. Probably." Nami's sister told herself, before shooting towards the rubber-man in a blur of aqua.

"Die!" At the same time, 'The Clown' pointed his right arm, which had all three daggers clutched between his fingers, at the rival pirate captain. In a disturbing show, the limb suddenly disconnected and sped towards its target, aiming to stab him in the chest. "Chop Trident!"

"Ding!"

As if he knew what was going to happen, Luffy easily caught Nojiko's haymaker in his left hand, before twisting her arm behind her back to restrict her movements. At the same time, the rubber-man's right hand came up and caught Buggy's hand as well, his fingers spaced perfectly to fit between the daggers.

"Nojiko."

The voice came from Luffy's mouth, but it didn't sound like him in the slightest. Unlike his normal lighthearted and childish cadence, this was a voice of power, respect, and fear. This was the voice of a Captain of the New World.

"I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid. Just because I treat my crew as family instead of henchmen, doesn't mean I will allow disrespect in front of a possible enemy. You aren't even a member yet. Know your place."

His reprimand finished, Luffy released Nojiko's hand, allowing her to stumble backwards in embarrassment; her head hung in shame.

"As for you…" Luffy said slowly, turning his heavy gaze to stare up at Buggy. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you and your men, then take your ship."

The moment Luffy's black eyes met Buggy's navy blue ones, the clown pirate felt fear run down his body. But this wasn't the simple, cowardly urges that usually tugged at his mind. This was true fear, the instinctual terror of an animal facing their natural predator. The fear that only a true King could instill with a simple look.

' _How?!'_ Buggy wondered, his mind reeling from what his body was insisting was true. ' _The pirates have been getting stronger since the Reconstruction, but a Conqueror in the_ East Blue _?!'_

As the seconds ticked by, everyone continued to watch the stare down, one side impassively, and the other quite disturbed, because they had never seen their captain go so long without shouting about something being 'flashy' or simply murdering any dissenters with his Devil Fruit Powers. Eventually, Luffy grew bored of the stand off and squeezed the separation-man's hand, which was still trapped in his grip.

"Gah!" Buggy exclaimed, clutching the stump of his right arm to his chest. "That was unnecessary!"

"Then answer the question," The rubber-man whined childishly, giving everyone, but said rubber-man, emotional whiplash, as he switched from a serious Conqueror, to an impatient teen.

As most of the two groups stared at the rubber-man like he was insane, another man grew tired of the stand off as well. The figure had dark green hair that covered his left eye on one side, and was cut short on the other, with three stripes of hair being completely shaved. The pirate wore white pants held up by a teal sash, and matching white shoes. On top, the man had a white and blue checkered scarf that covered his mouth and a long, sleeveless dark blue duster that was left open to show off his moderately muscled chest.

Grabbing a unicycle from where it lay next to him, the man mounted the transport, and drew the cutlass at his belt, before pedaling furiously towards the roof's edge. Just before he slammed into the barrier around the roof, the figure jumped into the air, still riding the unicycle as if it was an extension of his body. Once he reached the apex of his flight, the green haired pirate pointed his sword downwards, aimed straight at Luffy's head.

"Dirty Acrobatics: Swallowing Sword!"

"No, Cabaji! You can't win against that monster!" Buggy exclaimed in horror upon seeing his Chief of Staff attack.

Unable to change his course in midair, Cabaji decided to commit fully to the attack, willing himself to go faster. After a few moments of falling, and failing to see the teen do anything to dodge, the pirate smirked, believing his target didn't have time to move. If Cabaji was more intelligent, observant, or simply had more time, perhaps he would have noticed the obvious difference between what was happening now, and before. Alas, the man wasn't and didn't, and therefore was caught completely off guard when a green blur momentarily covered the teen, revealing a certain green haired swordsman.

"Now, now," Zoro lectured, raising a single, Haki covered hand. "Don't interfere in Captains' business."

The second he was done talking, Zoro grabbed the falling sword, stopping it, and the pirate it was attached to, with ease. As he lay suspended in the air, Cabaji gaped down at the first mate, fear and shock marked in equal measure on his face.

" _How?!_ " The Buggy Pirate demanded, unable to take his eyes off the undamaged hand that was gripping his blade.

Zoro shrugged as if it was no big deal. "Armament."

Now Cabaji was angry and confused, along with the fear and shock he already felt. "What does that mean?!"

Ignoring his fellow green haired man, Zoro encased his other hand in Haki and aimed it at the Chief of Staff. "Orders, Captain?" The swordsman asked in Luffy's direction.

"That'll be up to his," The rubber-man stated, still staring up at Buggy's shaking form.

As the Clown Pirate saw his comrade's life being threatened, Buggy remembered the first time he had met the man.

 _ **Flashback, Twenty Years Ago**_

An obviously younger Buggy stood in an alleyway, his hands covered in blood, and his face contorted in rage. On the floor in front of him, two bodies lay bruised and beaten, but alive, at his feet. A few moments passed as the young pirate stared at his victims, before he hawked a loogie on their unconscious forms and turned away, mumbling to himself.

"I _will_ succeed! Even if I have to collect every piece of gold on the planet!" Buggy insisted, nodding. "And no one can call me that but her!"

Suddenly, a shadow covered the Devil Fruit user's face, causing him to stop and see who was suddenly blocking his path. In front of him was a younger version of his Chief of Staff, although his attire was much shabbier and he was missing his scarf all together.

Glaring at the boy, Buggy bared his teeth in challenge, like a dog who had been beaten one too many times. "What?! Come to laugh at the freak as well?!"

Unfazed, Cabaji simply gazed back, a small smirk twitching on his lips. "I hear you're a pirate." It was a statement, not a question.

"What of it?!" Buggy all but snarled the response.

"I also heard you plan to be the first pirate to collect ten billion dollars in cash, surpassing the supposed horde of John Rox." The surprisingly intelligent teen stated, not bothering to answer the pirate's aggressive question.

"Again, _so what?!"_ Buggy exclaimed, becoming thoroughly annoyed.

"Let me be apart of your crew." Cabaji requested simply. "As you can probably tell, I don't have any money, but I've always wanted to be rich. Even if you only get ten percent of your goal, well, that would be pretty damn close." He then gestured towards the two adults collapsed in pools of their own blood on the floor. "And if you can do _that,_ I think you have a pretty good shot."

For a moment, Buggy was completely flabbergasted, but all too soon his face hardened back into its protective shell. "What about this?!" The teen pointed to his bulbous, red nose. "Isn't this too disgusting to look at every day?!"

"Is mine?" Cabaji asked, raising his head to show off his neck, revealing a horrific burn about three inches wide that completely encircled his neck.

"No," Buggy eventually assured, self consciously rubbing his own neck in unconscious sympathy. "No, no it isn't."

"Then it's settled." Cabaji smiled nefariously, holding out a hand.

"Yeah, It is," Buggy nodded, smacking the offered hand in agreement, as an equally evil grin spread on his face as well. "Now that there's two of us, I heard a bank just accepted an unusually large exchange of gold…"

 _ **Flashback End**_

"Stop!" Buggy exclaimed, jumping down from the roof of the pub. "Take whatever you need, the ship, the booze, the…" At this point, the pirate coughed up blood, as if someone had physically wounded him. "The gold, whatever, just don't harm my crew…"

"But Captain, what about-"

"It's already been twenty-three years! It's impossible!" The separation-man interrupted, a resigned look on his face. "Besides, what's a dream worth if there's no one else to share it with?"

As Buggy finished correcting his Chief of Staff, the pirate fell to his hands and knees, bowing before the rubber-man. "Please, if you have to kill someone, kill me."

' _I've been dead for a long time, anyways…'_

As 'The Clown' begged for the life of his subordinate, Luffy had been focusing his Observation on the man, much like he did with Coby. Every word he had said was true, and the rubber-man could almost see the boy who had once been on the ship of the Pirate King. The only thing that puzzled the teen, however, was the way his aura felt. Luffy had never sensed anyone that felt so _broken_. It was like whatever metaphorical spackle held him together had just _dissolved_. Upon listening to the pirate's speech, and feeling his will, Luffy came to a decision.

"Zoro!" The raven haired teen called out, forcing everyone's attention on him. "Let Unicycle go!"

In response, the swordsman nodded as he proceeded to throw Cabaji towards his Captain. "I believe this is yours."

Stunned by the act of mercy, the acrobat was almost on the ground before he twisted around in mid-air and landed deftly on his mode of transportation.

"Now, about that life…" Luffy began ominously, walking closer to the bowing pirate. "Tell me, Buggy, do you have a dream?"

Upon hearing the question, Buggy raised his head and was immediately hit with an overwhelming sense of deja vu. With the sun finally peeking out from behind the clouds, Luffy was cast completely in shadow, only revealing the form of someone wearing a straw hat.

 _ **Flashback**_

"Hey, kid," A very similar silhouette stood staring down. "Do you have a dream?"

"...no," A nervous voice responded.

"That's okay," The figure said, his mouth expanding into an encouraging smile. "You can find one to chase on our journey!"

 _ **Flashback End**_

"I...I did have one, a long time ago…" Buggy replied, even though he himself wasn't sure why. Something about the teen suddenly put him at ease, like he could trust him.

Upon hearing that, Luffy's face lit up into a huge grin. "That's great! How about we make a deal?"

"A...deal?" 'The Clown' repeated, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. No matter how comfortable he was, deals between pirates were always fraught with peril. "What kind of deal?"

"Join my crew!" The rubber-man exclaimed, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "And help me achieve my dream!"

Buggy knew he didn't really have any leverage to refuse, but his deep seated negotiator couldn't resist. "What's in it for me?"

"I'll help you reach your dream!" Luffy exclaimed, his previous smile becoming even larger, as he offered a hand down to the circus-themed pirate.

' _So, no one dies, and I get several powerful new allies?'_ The bluette wondered, staring at the proffered limb. ' _Just because_ I've _given up, doesn't mean I should ignore this opportunity.'_

"Deal!" Buggy accepted, grasping his captured limb with his other one and replacing it on his stump. "With me on your side, we'll flashily realize your dream!"

"Awesome!" Luffy yelled, as he vibrated in excitement. "I didn't think that would actually work!"

There was a lengthy pause as everyone registered that last statement.

"Uh, by the way, what _is_ your dream?" Buggy questioned, realizing he didn't know.

"Oh! It's simple!" Luffy smiled, spreading his arms wide. "I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

"I had a feeling," The separation-man chuckled, a faint spark lightening his chest. "Men with straw hats seem to have a knack for doing the impossible."

"Speaking of," Nami started, making Buggy and Cabaji jump since they had forgotten that there were other people present. "Since we're gonna be comrades, what's your dream? Mine's to make a map of the entire world!"

Buggy didn't answer for a moment, prompting Cabaji to elbow him in the side. "Wha- oh! My dream is to collect the largest treasure hoard in the world!"

"But that would have to be at least several billion dollars!" Nami exclaimed, her eyes transforming into Beri signs. "Great choice, Luffy!"

Unbeknownst to the redhead, and most everyone else, Buggy blushed. It wasn't everyday that someone looked passed his absurd outfit and deformed nose, much less complimented him so honestly.

"Yeah, I know!" Luffy exclaimed, although if you knew him well, you could tell it was almost half hearted. Coincidently, the only person who caught the momentary lapse was Zoro, but the swordsman simply narrowed his eyes and filed it away for later.

"What about you, Unicycle?" Zoro questioned, already studying his new crewmate.

"It Cabaji, Mosshead," The acrobat responded, only to smirk when the first mate scowled at the familiar slur and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'Stupid Swirlybrow'. "But I want my 'Dirty Acrobatics' to be recognized as an actual martial art!"

Raising an eyebrow at the response, Zoro also smirked. "I can respect that. I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman."

Cabaji did a double take. "What?! I understand why the monkey over there has such a crazy goal, he's clearly an idiot! But what's your excuse?!"

"Hey, how'd ya know my family name is Monkey?" Luffy questioned in the background, only to be ignored.

Zoro's smirk widened until it was more a bloodthirsty grin. "Who said I wasn't an idiot? Besides, there's no room for logic where we're going!"

With that declaration made, all the people who weren't New World veterans shared the same thought. ' _What did we get ourselves into?!'_

 **Okay there's chapter 19!**

 **Thanks for the continued support, we are now over 300 favorites and over 400 follows! It really helped keep me chugging through this chapter!**

 **As a little bonus for the wait, I am also uploading a chapter to a Naruto fanfic that would not stop bothering me, so you can read that as well!**

 **Finally, since I'm starting to get quite a few reviews per chapter, I'm going to answer them over Private Message so I don't artificially inflate the my word count on the story.**

 **As always I appreciate feedback to please review!**

 **Swordnoob signing out!**


	20. Lurking Legend

**Hey guys, welcome back to One Piece Rebooted! Thanks for all the follows, we're over 500! Here's to(hopefully) 500 more! I wanted chapter 20 to be a bit longer than normal, so I apologize for the wait!**

 **PSA: I know quite a few of you expressed doubts about Buggy and co. joining. All I ask is to give them a chance, they're not exact copies of their canon counterparts, and I have plans for the main three(Buggy, Cabaji, and Mohji). Thank you.**

 **Disclaimer: In addition to One Piece, I also don't own Fallout, DBZA, Seinfeld, or the archetype of Kyle.**

 **Without further ado, on to the chapter!**

 _ **The Grand Line, Sandy Island**_

In the capital city, Alubarna, inside the throne room of the Alabasta Royal Palace, a stern, but welcoming, man slouched on the throne the room was named for, as if what he wished most was to sink into the unyielding stone he sat upon. The king had wavy black hair that reached his shoulders and a goatee done in a pharaoh style that jutted from his chin. In order to stay cool in the demanding temperatures of his kingdom, the figure only wore a thin, light blue robe with a trim of dark orange held together with a beaded belt around his waist. On his feet were the same simple brown sandals that most civilians wore.

Turning his head slightly, the king's face shifted into a look of grudging resolution. "Igaram, bring me the Den-Den Mushi!"

With the silent swing of a well maintained hinge, one of the large double doors to the room swung open, allowing a bulky man with his blond hair styled in six big curls to enter the room, a snail dozing in the palm of his hand. Padding across the long space with the balanced assurance of a trained warrior, Igaram paused at the foot of the throne, giving a respectful bow, before looking at his king in the eye.

"So it's come to this, has it, King Nefertari?" The blonde asked with a stilted, formal air.

The seated man sighed internally, sorrowful that the relationship with one of his closest friends had become so strained. _'I can't blame him, though. If only I had been more proactive…'_

"It's the safest way, for everyone," The Alabstian ruler insisted, hoping his subordinate would see reason. "Without Vivi, or proof against these allegations…it's the only way I can ensure there isn't a civil war."

"Then let me go find her!" Igaram suddenly shouted, forgetting his place in the heat of the moment. "I don't need anyone else! Just one month, and I swear I'll come back with the princess! Please, Cobra!"

"I...can't." Nefertari Cobra's visage broke slightly, revealing the face of a simple man, one terrified about not knowing the fate of his only child. After a single moment the crack was gone, replaced by the resolved stare of a martyr, knowing that he must put his own needs behind those of the people he was entrusted with. "I've already lost Pell, the strongest warrior in our lands, along with my daughter. If I lose you as well, the Rebels will take it as a moment of weakness, and seize that opportunity! I will **NOT** allow this country to fall into chaos like so many others!"

Biting back a response that would probably get him executed, Igaram placed the snail, which was now cowering inside its shell, on the throne's armrest. With a rigid bow, the Captain of the Royal Guard turned on his heel and strode out of the room, all but slamming the door shut behind him.

Heaving another heavy sigh, Cobra turned to the mollusk, giving it a look of distaste. "Let's get this over with…"

After typing in a _very_ prestigious number, the king licked his suddenly dry lips in apprehension as he waited for the receiver to pick up. "Ca-lick!" As the call was answered, the snail's face gained a thick scar above its left eye and a straight, bushy mustache and beard. "So, have you come to a decision about our offer?"

Cobra exhaled, releasing the tension in his body. "Yes, I've chosen to accept."

 _ **East Blue, Organ Islands**_

"And this is our ship, the Big Top!" Buggy exclaimed 'flashily', throwing his hands like a Ringmaster revealing his newest act.

The Big Top was certainly a sight to behold. It was a wide, but squat, ship with eight cannons on each side along with three arranged on the prow and two situated on the stern. Three masts rose from the deck, their sails spread wide displaying Buggy's Jolly Roger, a skull and crossbones with a large red nose and black crosses over the eye sockets. Strung seemingly at random, tightropes, trampolines, and nets were spread around the deck, harkening back to the galleon's name sake.

"Wow, it's so big!" Koby blurted out, staring at the vessel in awe.

"That's what she said!" A random Buggy pirate yelled in response with a snicker, causing Koby to blush at the innuendo.

Without missing a beat, Nami called back. "Not to you she didn't!"

This was followed by a chorus of 'OH'S!' from the pirates.

Seeing this interaction, Luffy turned to Zoro, a look of confusion on his face. "What's-"

"No! Nonono!" Zoro interrupted, an unprecedented look of fear on his face. "I am not giving you the 'The Talk', ask Usopp when we get to Syrup Village!"

With a brief thought of 'mystery joke', Luffy went back to ogling the Big Top, his eyes transforming into stars as he did so. "Cool! We should get Franky to add some trampolines to the Sunny!"

Immediately, the rubber-man Razored up onto the vessel, only to fall and land on one of the trampolines. Bouncing off of the piece of equipment, the time-traveler fluidly grabbed a conveniently placed trapeze, flying through the air in a quick curve, before releasing at the perfect moment to land on one of the safety nets.

After a moment of silence, the assembled circus-pirates began to applaud in sincerity.

"Good show!"

"A natural!"

Curiosity overcoming her shame, Nojiko raised an eyebrow at the response. "With that reaction one would think you guys are _actually_ circus performers and not sea bandits."

Upon hearing his fellow bluette's sarcastic remark, Buggy gasped indignantly. "Hey, just because our first love is the sea, doesn't mean we don't love being performers any less!"

"Wait," Nami interrupted, a surprised look lighting her face. "You guys actually do circus acts? Like for real?"

"Well...mostly it's just for each other," Cabaji admitted, most of the excitement in his face dropping into embarrassment. "Usually the inhabitants are too scared to come to our performances…"

"But that doesn't mean we have lower standards, or anything!" Another random pirate exclaimed proudly.

"Right! Only the flashiest of acts are accepted in Buggy's Big Top!" 'The Clown' agreed, pointing to himself pridefully. "It's actually always been a tradition that when a new member joins they show off their best routine."

"Huh," Koby mused, looking around at the group of cheering pirates. "Compared to how the papers describe you, you're not that bad."

"Ha!" Buggy chuckled humorlessly, a shadow crossing his face. "Don't trust anything in the World Economic Times! It's nothing but government propaganda and sensationalist drivel!"

At this Koby looked taken aback. "But how are you supposed to know what's happening in the world, then?" The cabin boy asked, his eyes shining naively.

"I never said not to read it, just don't trust it!" The separation-man lectured, putting his hand on the pinkette's shoulder and raising his pointer finger. "The best lies have an inkling of truth after all!"

At that moment, Buggy suddenly felt a hand grip _his_ shoulder threateningly. Slowly, as if his neck had become rusted, the pirate turned to see who was cracking his collarbone.

"What, _exactly_ , are you telling my cute little brother right now?" Nojiko asked in a sickly sweet voice, a rictus smile stuck on her face.

"Nothing bad!" Buggy waved his hands innocently, sweat beading on his forehead. "I swear! Tell her, kid!"

Nojiko turned, raising an eyebrow in Koby's direction, making sure to keep a firm grip on her captive. "So?"

"He just told me not to trust what the papers say," The cabin boy responded truthfully, sweat covering his forehead as well from secondhand fear.

Surprised, Nojiko released the pirate's shoulder, the doom that surrounded her lifting like a heavy fog. "Well, that's...actually very good advice."

' _Why does everyone keep treating me like a kid? I'm sixteen!'_ Koby briefly wondered, before shrugging his shoulders, not keen on sounding like a child for asking. "Anyways, what are we doing? Are we leaving, or what?"

"Uh, I don't know?" Buggy shrugged, glad for a change of topic. Turning around, the man sent his hand flying over to Luffy, tapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, Straw Hat! What's the plan?! You're the Captain now, remember?!"

Most people might believe that Buggy loved being in charge with people listening to his every command, and those people would be right. However, what people often forget is the huge responsibility that comes with being a leader, and Buggy, after being a leader for twenty years, was fine relinquishing that power in order to mentally relax. _'Plus_ , _'_ 'The Clown' thought to himself with a nod. _'My crew won't forget who lead them overnight, they'll still listen to me.'_

As if suddenly remembering something, Luffy stopped playing on the ship, and jumped back to solid ground. "Right! New friends! Front and center!"

As the rubber-man's voice washed over the circus pirates, they found their bodies' moving before conscious thought willed them. In seconds, the group was formed in loose rows in front of Luffy, waiting for his orders.

"Alright, men and women! As you know, your captain has decided to join my crew!" Luffy declared, causing a couple of the more inebriated pirates to give looks of confusion to their comrades. "That means the Clown Pirates are no more! So, I'm giving you the choice to follow your previous captain and join me, or to leave! No harm will come to you if you don't join!"

Following Luffy's statement, muttering erupted from the group of pirates. After a few moments, a man with thick lips and an odd, ovular orange afro hesitantly raised his hand in the air.

"Yes, Orange 'fro!" The rubber-man called out, pointing to the figure.

"Um, are tha', uh, any rules, um, we should, uh, naw about?" The man asked slowly, as if he were afraid of retaliation.

"There are only two rules you have to follow if you want to be a part of my crew!" Luffy proclaimed, causing a chorus of groans to be heard from the crowd. Pirates love their freedom, after all! "One, don't be an asshole! Two, protect your comrades!"

With those simple guidelines set, the group of outlaws once more broke into a torrent of discussion. After a series of shrugs, crossed arms, and nods, the pirates mostly settled, allowing the rubber-man to continue.

"Any more questions?" Luffy asked, looking for anymore raised hands. Seeing none, Luffy nodded to himself, feeling it was prudent to move on to the next order of business. "Good! Now, who here would like to join me and be a part of my crew?"

For a moment there was a long pause where the marauders appeared to be thinking the offer over. Eventually, the pause was broken by the same orange haired man, who raised his hand once more. "Eh, I don't naw nothin' but pirating. You dan't seem any worse than tha old boss, so I'll join ya."

After that initial declaration, the rest of the pirates followed his lead and espoused similar sentiments. As the last man spoke his agreement, Luffy grinned widely, happy to have made so many new friends, and so easily too. Slowly, however, his grin dimmed as he prepared to do his duty as a Captain. "Alright! Now we just have to check and see how strong everyone is!"

"Hol' up!" A blond haired man in a blue jumpsuit called out, holding his hands in a stopping motion. "What does that mean? It's not a test is it? I'm deathly afraid of tests!"

Luffy raised an eyebrow at the outburst, bemused. "No, it's not a test! You all already agreed to follow me! That's all it takes! This is just to see who needs the most help!"

The man seemed extremely relieved by Luffy's explanation, releasing a large sigh. "Good!"

"Alright, now, on the count of three, I want you to focus all your energy on staying conscious!" The rubber-man instructed, his tone brokering no argument or inquiry. "One! Two! Three!"

As Luffy reached the noted number, a dark purple wave of pure will surged out in a circle from the time traveler, washing over everyone in the area. Nami, Zoro, Nojiko, Koby, and Buggy all easily shrugged off the effects, having experienced much stronger Conqueror's waves before.

As his ex-captain yawned from boredom, Cabaji felt the horrible, but all too familiar, sensation of cold steel resting around his neck, causing panic to wrack his body. Reaching his hands to his throat, the acrobat clutched at his scarf, like a toddler hugging their mother's leg for comfort.

' _No! I'll never be restrained again!'_ With that mental declaration, Cabaji broke the momentary trance he had been caught in, standing defiant against the incorporeal barrage.

Feeling the resistance from the Chief of Staff, Luffy grinned, surprised with the ease Cabaji had resolved himself. _'Not bad, not bad at all.'_

At the same time as the acrobat, the rest of the ex-Buggy Pirates felt an immense amount of dread settle over them. Some felt like insects were scurrying over their skin, others smelled the rotting breath of a demon wash over them, and others still thought they heard ghosts whisper doom into their ears. As the unease weighed down on the outlaws, several could no longer take the strain, and fell forward, unconscious. As the seconds ticked by, a few of the pirates followed the lead of Cabaji and managed to completely resist the mental attack, while a couple of the more weak-minded joined their comrades on the ground. After a full thirty seconds, Luffy ended the barrage, exhaling tiredly.

"Man it's hard to use such a small amount like that!" He chuckled to himself aloud, unknowingly.

Hearing this, the still conscious marauders stared at him with disbelieving eyes.

"What do you mean 'small'?!" A hefty, dark skinned man with a shaved head yelled out. "I thought the Devil had finally come to collect!"

"Wow, you guys must be really weak!" Luffy laughed, causing the pirates to scowl at his candor. "Even Koby could take that easily!"

"Hey, why am I the measuring stick for weakness?!" Koby exclaimed in annoyance, before kneeling down and clutching his legs. "I guess I _am_ just the cabin boy…"

"Can somebody 'Fist of Love' him? I'm too far away!" Luffy called out in a much too cheerful manner.

"Don't you-"

"Hilt of Affection!" Zoro yelled, cutting off Koby's interjection by slamming the handle of Wado Ichimonji into the pinkette's head. "Quit it with the moping, brat!"

"Ouch! Stupid three-sword style!" Koby grumbled as he rubbed his head.

"Why does everyone think that's an insu-" Zoro began before being interrupted in turn.

"How many times do I have to tell you to STOP. HITTING. CHILDREN?! Nami exclaimed, punctuating her last three words with punches to the swordsman's head.

After picking himself up from the hole he had been punched into, Zoro glared at the navigator. "Why is it when you hit someone it's fine, but when anyone else does it's 'that's child abuse' and 'your debt is getting doubled, Zoro!', huh?!"

In response, Nami simply pulled out a nail file and began giving herself a manicure, before looking up at the swordsman in faux surprise. "Oh, did you say something?"

Gripping his katana in infuriation, Zoro spoke to himself through clenched teeth. "Must. Not. Trisect."

"I'm surprised a brute like you even knows a word that large," Nojiko quipped with a snide smirk.

"Don't even start, Denim-Hair," The vice captain snarked back dismissively.

"Is that really the best you could come up with, Mosshead?" The bluette responded, her smirk widening.

"At least I'm original," The swordsman grinned back.

"Can you two get a room?" Buggy groaned, a disgusted look on his face. "Flirt-bickering is soooo _not_ flashy!"

"I'm not-" Zoro began, a slight blush coloring his face.

"With him-" Nojiko sputtered in surprise, a matching red flushing her cheeks.

"What happened to 'girls don't like cocky guys', eh, Sis?" Koby deadpanned at their expense, his arms crossed.

"Whose side are you _on?!_ " Nojiko yelled in embarrassment, her blush deepening.

' _What is wrong with these people?!'_ The conscious circus pirates wondered as they watched the exchange.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed at his crew's interaction, his grin shining. "You guys are so funny!"

" _Anyways,"_ A white haired woman wearing a white leotard decorated with a blue 'v' with white stars spoke up, holding her head. "As entertaining as embarrassing young lovers is, what, exactly, _just happened?!"_

"We're not-" Nojiko and Zoro tried to insist again, only to pause and glare at each other instead.

"Ah, I can explain," Buggy said, raising his hand to pull everyone's attention away from the squabbling crew members. Pausing, he moved to stand in front of his previous subordinates. After settling into a better position to exposit, he continued. "That was Conqueror's Haki, the ability to exert your will to 'conquer' others. It's extremely rare, I'm honestly shocked a Conqueror is in the East."

"How do you know that?" A purple haired man asked as he absentmindedly juggled a trio of daggers. "That sounds like something the protagonist of a comic would have to make them seem 'special'."

"Wait- are we side characters?" The blonde mook from earlier questioned, gripping his hair in distress.

"Of course not, Bob-"

"My name's not Bob."

"-all of you are the main characters in your own stories." 'The Clown' assured, before shifting uncomfortably. "As for how I know, my...late...captain had the same ability."

A wave of shock ran through the crowd of pirates, most of which had recovered from the mental tsunami. As the muttering reached a fever pitch, Buggy tensed guiltily, as if expecting an attack to come flying from any direction. Noticing his friend's distress, Cabaji walked next to his ex-captain and put a soothing hand on his shoulder. Like a criminal caught in the act, Buggy instinctively flinched at the touch, only to relax upon seeing the limb's owner.

"Hey, you have to forgive yourself at some point." Cabaji whispered, squeezing the bluette's shoulder to accentuate his point. "I'm sure they would understand."

"That's precisely the problem," Buggy mumbled back with a weary sigh. "I was selfish, and for what? Nothing."

"Not nothing, if I hadn't met you I'd still be a worthless street rat, or worse. Mohji and Richie would be dead. And similar fates would have befallen the rest of us." The Chief of Staff proclaimed, patting the seperation-man on the back. "Now I know it's a tough subject, but they should know the basics. _Especially,_ if we are going to be following this psycho." Cabaji pointed over his shoulder to the rubber-man who was still laughing at his crew's banter.

"You're right, as usual," Buggy took a deep breath and chuckled. "We're nothing but a bunch of misfits, huh?"

"Well, when you put it like that, we'll fit right in, I suppose," The Chief of Staff smirked back, pushing his friend towards their previous subordinates. "Go on."

Nodding, the separation-man straightened his back and faced the assembled pirates. Grinning widely, the ex-captain regained his confident air and addressed the group once more. "As I'm sure you're all wondering, yes, I was once a member of another pirate crew. As for what crew it was, I'm sure you've all heard of them before."

Buggy was a true performer, so, despite his discomfort, he decided to make his story a production, taunting the crowd with a piece of information before pausing, allowing them to salivate over the juicy possibilities.

"C'mon! Tell us!" A voice shouted from the mass, unleashing a torrent of similar calls.

"Was it the Golden Lion Pirates?!"

"How would it _ever_ be a crew that legendary?!"

"You know I'm overly optimistic, Kyle!"

"Let us know!"

"Don't tease us!"

Hearing their begging was music to Buggy's ears. Smiling even wider, the separation-man spread his arms in a grand manner, preparing for the reveal.

"The Roger Pirates." His voice was no louder than a conversational pitch, but it seemed to easily overpower the crowd's demands, dropping it from a chaotic cacophony into an astonished silence.

" _What?!"_ Came the unanimous reply of incredulity, coupled with an assortment of outrageous expressions.

"Suck my dick, Kyle!"

"Kiss my ass, Darius!"

In the back of the group, two pirates started brawling, but everyone else was too stunned to notice.

"I didn't know anyone from the Roger Pirates was still alive, _much less our freaking CAPTAIN!"_

"Ex-captain."

"Screw off, Barry!"

"Excuse me, but _what the fuck?!"_

"Wait- how do you have such a low bounty?!"

Calmly, Buggy listened to the endless stream of questions and outbursts, until the last one, upon which he frowned and held up his hands to quiet the mob. Once the chatter had settled to a murmur, the bluette cleared his throat to regain the audience's attention. "First off, I was only a cabin boy under Roger, and I only travelled with him for a couple years-

"Did-"

"And before you ask, no, I did not travel to *Laugh Tale. It was 'too dangerous' for me and a few others, at least that's what I was told." Buggy explained with a sharp glare directed at the disruptor, who whistled innocently in response. "As for the reason I never told you about my history and why my bounty is not that...large, they are connected." As if suppressing a traumatic memory, the pirate shuttered, took another deep breath, and pushed onward. "As I said, I was only a cabin boy, and, as such, didn't have a bounty at the time. _However,_ the World Government, in addition to starting a manhunt for any possible children of Roger, also sent Admirals to investigate any possible sightings of former Roger pirates, no matter how unlikely it was. Therefore, I've tried to keep a low profile, otherwise..." Buggy left the ending up to their imagination, not particularly eager to describe his own death.

Listening to his explanation, Koby furrowed his brow in confusion. _'Didn't have a bounty? Why does that sound...wrong?'_ Shaking his head, the cabin boy figured now was probably _not_ the best time to contradict someone's story.

Once Buggy's history had been told, the white haired daredevil from earlier raised her hand. "Okay...that's kind of unbelievable, but what does that have to do with, literally, anything else?"

Glad to have a subject that wasn't his past, the separation-man snapped his fingers, then pointed at the performer. "Excellent segway! It's important to give you a base from where to build the trust of my next statements. Where we're going, Conqueror's Haki will not be a rare ability, nor will the power to resist it. Hell, in the New World, if you're a crew not under one of the Emperors, it's basically a requirement for the Captain."

"What do you mean, 'where we're going'?" One of the more, let's say, mentally challenged members questioned, a massive mallet resting on his equally massive shoulder.

At this point, Nami felt it was her duty to explain things regarding navigation, so put away her nail file and stepped up next to Buggy.

Where do you think the One Piece is?" The redhead asked rhetorically, only to answer her own question. "The Grand Line, or, as the denizens of the second half like to call it, the New World."

"And you are…?" The female daredevil spoke up, her arms crossed.

"Nami, Navigator," The staff user answered, releasing a sigh of exhaustion from simply contemplating their upcoming journey.

"Ah," The pirate responded, exhaling in a similar, long-suffering manner. "I can tell you haven't had any better luck than me."

Commiserating silently in each others hardships, Nami eventually broke the moment by addressing the crew as a whole. "To be blunt, most of you are too weak to be anything more than fodder for anyone with that ability."

To the navigator's surprise, instead of insisting they were strong, as she predicted, the group mostly hung their heads, as if her assessment was exactly what they had expected.

"I guess my dad was right, I'm useless, even as a criminal..."

"Be a Pirate they said, it'll be easy they said."

"The sea water was cold!"

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"Fist of Love Gatling!"

"Bong!"

"Bong!"

"Bong!"

In an instant, every pirate was on the floor clutching bumps on their head.

"Why does everyone I meet have the self confidence of a chicken?" Luffy berated, angrily staring down the crowd of outlaws. "Do you think I let you on my crew to use as a shield against my enemies? And then to cast you aside like a bug off my sandal?"

"Um, no offense, but...yeah," One of the pirates spoke up, still clutching their head. "That's the role of scum like us. Who would care if we died? You could just pick up another ten at the next port."

Hearing the way the man spoke of himself and his comrades, Luffy frowned in disgust. Not at his new crewmates, but at the world that had created such a disregard for sentient beings. It reminded him of all the people who were so easily thrown away in his homeland by the ruling class. It reminded him of the screams he had heard for hours as Grey Terminal had burned. It reminded him of Ace. Gritting his teeth, the rubber-man kicked the ground in frustration, creating a small crater.

"Don't say another word!" Luffy shouted, startling the group of dejected pirates, causing them to stare at their new captain. "I don't care what you think about yourself, anyone who is part of _my_ crew means something to _me._ You're my friends now! And I don't let my friends die!"

"R-really? You...actually mean that?" The strongman asked, voicing the disbelief clear in the group's eyes.

"Of course," Luffy responded automatically, his grin shining out on the pirates, lighting an unfamiliar sensation in their chests: loyalty. Turning around, he waved a hand towards the main crew. "Zoro! C'mere!"

Breaking off the good-natured bickering with his crewmates, the swordsman wandered over to the group, yawning absently. "Yeah?"

"You can whip them into shape, right?" Luffy asked in an aside. "Like you are with Koby?"

"And what will you be doing, exactly?" Zoro questioned, raising his eyebrow accusingly. "Surely not raiding our food stores."

"Pfft, me? Never!" The rubber-man laughed awkwardly, all the while not making eye contact. "Anyways, I'll be training the stronger ones, like Buggy, myself."

Zoro nodded, before addressing the group himself. "Alright listen up! From now, until I say you're ready, I'll be training you to get stronger!"

"Ding!" As Luffy let his first mate take over, he sensed two new groups of people heading in their direction. One consisted of a man, a lion, and a dog. The other felt like an elderly man who was simultaneously terrified and resolved. As neither was an immediate threat, the rubber-man decided not to say or do anything until one of them made a move.

"Stronger? We can get stronger?" The man juggling daggers questioned, as if he had never considered the idea. "I thought you had to be born strong?"

"What? No! Why would you think that?" Zoro demanded, gripping Wado reflexively.

"That's what everyone says," The acrobat shrugged in response.

"Well, that's bullshit!" The swordsman insisted fervently, thinking back to his childhood. "It doesn't matter who you are, what you are, or where you were born! I used to be just as weak as all of you but I worked until my hands bled everyday!"

"And just who are you?"

"Green hair, three swords, could it be?"

No way! Why would the 'Swordless Samurai' be a pirate?!"

"And what are the odds there just so happens to be a pirate with green hair who _also_ wields three swords?!"

"My name is Roronoa Zoro, First Mate," The swordsman interrupted the mook's speculating, bringing shock to the ones who were 'in the know'.

"Don't let Usopp hear you saying that," Nami chuckled, to which Zoro simply rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying," Luffy spoke up once again, extending a hand. "Zoro will help you become strong enough to survive our enemies, but just how we'll fight the enemies you can't, you'll have to work together to fight the enemies we can't. No matter how strong one person is, they can't fight the entire world alone. So, what do you say, do you want to help me fight the world? Do you want to be _free?_ "

' _Hasn't the world been stomping on us from the beginning?'_ The group wondered to themselves. _'We have a chance to spit in the faces of those who said we were trash?'_

The pirates remembered how easily this teen had suppressed their captain. How effortless it was to render half of them unconscious. He didn't even need to touch them! And he wasn't even _trying_ , it was a simple test! It wasn't just his strength either, it was his attitude. Everyone they had ever met, even if they were only barely above them on the social ladder, treated them like refuse. But this teen-no, this man, had treated them with respect, like they were equals. He didn't just expect their participation, he gave them a _choice,_ and that was what they craved, the power to choose their own fate. With both of these facts, there was only one thing for them to say.

"Yeah!" The pirates called out as one, throwing their hands in the air.

"What's all the yelling about?" A rough, unseen voice called out suddenly. "I could hear you half way across town!"

"Roar!/Bark!" Two animals called out in agreement.

As almost everyone whirled in surprise, Luffy and Zoro casually turned their heads to confirm what their Observation had already told them. A lean man with a literal mane of white hair walked out of a side street that lead to the beach, his nostrils flaring. The man had white hair covering his chest in the form of a crop top, partially covering several faded scars, while simple green pants covered his legs, and a pair of shoes in the shape of paws sat on his feet. Attached to his left hip was a primitive looking whip, made of aged bone and worn leather. To the odd stranger's right, was a huge, yet equally odd, lion with sickly green fur and and a large purple mane, making the animal resemble a giant flower. Finally, on the man's left padded the most ordinary member of the trio, a white, moderately sized dog with its tongue lolling out the side of its mouth.

"It's about damn time you got back!" Cabaji called out impatiently, scowling. "You've missed _several_ events! How long does it take to find some food for your damn cat?!"

"About as long as it takes for you to get ready, he's very picky." The new arrival responded, his canines bared. "And if you call Richie that again, I'll let him eat _you."_

"Roar!" Richie bellowed, flashing his razor sharp teeth threatenly.

"Well, _most_ people _don't_ want to look like a hermit who thinks they're an animal," The Chief of Staff responded, running a hand through his luscious hair. "Besides, the ladies love my hair care tips."

"Knock it off, dumbasses!" Buggy yelled, using his powers to slap both his ex-underlings at the same time, before addressing Mohji. "A lot of things happened while you were out and, therefore, you need to be brought up to speed!"

"Ah! That reminds me!" The first mate exclaimed, once more sniffing the air. "I caught the trail of a group of unfamiliar scents…"

"Typical. You use your nose more than your brain!" Cabaji chided, pointing to the Straw Hats. "Can you not see the five other people here?!"

"Huh?/Ruh?/Meow?" The trio questioned in response, staring at the unknown people they had only now noticed.

' _That's our First Mate, all instincts and no brains…'_ The Buggy pirates thought in embarrassment.

"Idiots…" Buggy moaned through the hand that covered his face.

"Shishishi!" Luffy's signature laughter washed over them, breaking the moment of disappointment. "You guys are pretty funny too! Are all First Mates idiots?"

 _ **The Grand Line, Somewhere on Sabaody Archipelago**_

Silvers Rayleigh sat in front of a pachinko machine, idly watching the ball bounce around causing metallic clanks and loud bells to sound at random.

"Achoo!" The 'Dark King' suddenly sneezed violently, before frowning in combined annoyance and confusion. "Why do I suddenly have the urge to strangle a tire?"

 _ **Back with Luffy**_

"You're the last person I want to hear that from!" Zoro exclaimed, grabbing his captain's vest and shaking him. In response, Luffy simply laughed all the harder.

While her oldest crewmates roughhoused, Nami grabbed her sister and Koby, marching them over in front of the new arrivals, Cabaji, and Buggy. Extending a hand towards Mohji, the navigator introduced their group.

"Ignoring the two morons," The redhead stated, pointing to herself, then to Nojiko, and finally Koby. "I'm Nami, navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates. This is my sister, Nojiko. And this is our cabin boy, Koby."

"Okay…I'm Mohji, First Mate of the Buggy Pirates," The beast tamer recognized hesitantly, shaking the offered hand. "What's going on here?"

As Nami shook hands with the man, she noticed two things. First, his nails were long and sharp, stabbing into her flesh in a subtle effort to assert dominance in the interaction. Second, she noticed the slight shift from a neutral stance to that of a predator. Interestingly, the two animals at his side also tensed, like a pack of wolves following their leader.

Grinning to herself, the redhead chuckled nefariously. Men were so simple. Always trying to beat people through brute force. It was so much easier to pretend to be weak, and slide a knife between their ribs from behind. It didn't matter how strong you were if you were dead. _'Although, in this case, it's probably better to clear up any...confusion from the start. I haven't been doing nothing over the past three years, after all."_

Deciding to play his game, the navigator made eye contact and smiled innocently, showing that his ploy had been completely ineffectual. At the same time, she clamped down with all her strength. Compared to monsters like Luffy and Zoro, Nami's strength wasn't much to comment on, but, conversely, compared to Mohji, _she_ was the monster. As such, the first mate barely contained a howl of pain when he felt the bones in his hand get brutally compacted by the positively _dainty_ limb of the smiling woman in front of him.

' _Who is this woman?!'_ Mohji wondered, hastily breaking the silent combat. In order to hide the shaking in his hand, the first mate quickly pocketed the limb while side eyeing the men in the background. _'And more importantly, who are those two? The green haired one's swords reek of blood and my instincts are screaming to avoid the pipsqueak, strange.'_

"Now that the greetings are out of the way," Nami continued, still displaying that disturbing smile. "I was going to inform you that your crew no longer exists, or, more specifically, has been absorbed into ours."

At this, the beast tamer looked absolutely gobsmacked. For several seconds all he could do was open and close his mouth, like a fish gasping for water, unable to process the announcement. Eventually, the pirate managed to wrangle control of his mouth for long enough to spit out a single word. " _What?!"_

"Would you rather us all die?" Buggy asked with morbid conviction. "Because that's what would have happened if we fought them. No, it wouldn't even be called a fight, it would have been a _slaughter_."

"B-but-" Mohji wanted to protest, but after his experience with the navigator he had a feeling what his captain- _'Ex-captain,'_ He mentally corrected. What his _ex-captain_ had said was probably true.

"Besides," Cabaji shrugged intruding on the beast tamer's thoughts. "I think it'll be interesting. We've all been in the East for at least ten years. It's time to go to a bigger stage!"

In a show of his increasing confidence, Koby built on the acrobat's statement. "It'll also help with your dreams, right? More fame, or infamy in this case, means more people will hear of your fighting style, and the pirates in the Grand Line will definitely have more gold than those in the East."

"Ah, having logical conclusions are somehow both refreshing and disconcerting," Nami mused, tapping her chin in contemplation.

"Anyways…" Buggy intoned, giving the navigator a worried look. "While I hope you'll stay with us, it's your choice if you want to join or not."

"As long as I can help animals in need, I don't really care. It's really up to what my brother thinks, you know I won't be separated from him," Mohji said, waving his hand in the direction of Richie.

"Right, right," Nojiko stated in a dismissive wave. "Can we hurry up? It feels like we've been on this island for months already."

"I know, right?" Nami agreed, tilting her head.

"But it's only been a couple of hours…" Koby looked at them strangely, before shaking his head.

"Are you people always this impatient?" Mohji questioned, relaxing slightly with the casual conversation.

"No," The redhead smirked. "We're usually much worse."

"Oh."

While the humans continued to talk amongst themselves, the two animals decided to wander off, no longer sensing an impending conflict. Smelling meat, Richie roared in the dog's direction, telling him to follow. Sniffing the air to confirm, the dog defiantly walked in step with the much larger creature, refusing to be a subordinate. Gaining a tick mark on his head, Richie began to walk ever so slightly faster, wanting to get to the food first. In response the canine increased his pace as well, until he was in the lead. This continued until they were both running, when the pair was suddenly stopped by a set of unyielding hands gripping their foreheads.

"What are you two doing?" A voice promising pain questioned.

"Roa-" Richie began, only to be silenced upon meeting the man's eye.

"Gr-" The dog started, but froze as well when he saw the fierce gaze.

"Were you going to steal my pocket meat?" Luffy asked, seeming to leer down at both of the beasts, despite being only half the size of the lion.

"Meow?" Richie stated pitifully, sitting on his back feet to allow his front paws to curl into a begging pose.

"Un!" The canine whined, copying the lion's posture.

Immediately, Luffy lightened. "Oh, you were just going to ask for some?"

"Meow!" The lion responded, opening his mouth.

"Ruff!" The dog barked in confirmation, once more mimicking his companion.

"Sanji would never forgive me if I didn't share my food with someone who's hungry…" Luffy sighed with no small amount of reluctance. "So I suppose you can have a piece each."

While the animals were begging for food, Mohji finally got around to asking Richie if he would wanted to stay with Buggy.

"So Richie-" The beast tamer's question was cut short when he finally noticed the lion was no longer next to him. Scanning around to find him, Mohji caught sight of his brother begging for food in front of the straw hat wearing teen and let out a sigh. "I guess that question is answered…"

Back with Luffy, the rubber-man reached into his shorts and pulled out two pieces of jerky. Just as he was about to throw the food to the animals, the pirate froze.

"Ding!"

Luffy finally sensed the old man make a move, dashing out from a side street, a simple wooden spear aimed at him.

"I don't care what you do to me, but I won't let you hurt Chouchou!" The elder exclaimed, ruining any amount of surprise he held.

Now within eyesight, the man was revealed to have shoulder-length gray hair and glasses. The man wore a yellow, short-sleeved shirt, black shorts, and sandals. Over his clothes he also had a leather breastplate and matching gauntlets that protected his forearms.

"I'm not going to hurt him," Luffy said, while simultaneously dodging the spear that would have stabbed him in the face.

"Liar!" The man yelled out as he followed up his initial attack with a flurry of thrusts toward the rubber-man.

"Hey, be careful!" Luffy exclaimed, moving just enough so the blows missed him each time. "You could really hurt someone, ya know?"

"Why. Can't. I. Hit. You?!" The elder puffed out, his attacks coming slower with each thrust.

"Because you're slow?" The teen asked, an eyebrow raised. Becoming bored of dodging, Luffy simply grabbed the shaft of the spear as it missed once again, and ripped the weapon out of the man's hand. With his spear gone, the old man fell to his knees in exhaustion and despair.

"Dammit!" The man cursed, punching the ground. "This is just like like 40 years ago!" Looking up at Luffy from his spot in the dirt with tears in his eyes, the elder begged. "Please, you can have everything I have, even my life! Just leave this village and Chouchou alone!"

Puzzled, Luffy raised an eyebrow at the sobbing man. "Why are you crying?"

"Because you damned pirates are going to destroy my treasure again!" The man raged, trembling in grief and anger.

"I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding…" The dark haired teen stated awkwardly, trying to soothe the elder.

"What's there to misunderstand?!" The man exclaimed. "You're going to destroy this town and kill Chouchou for some kind of sick entertainment!"

"Uh, we weren't going to do either of those things," Luffy denied, shaking his head. "And who's Chouchou? And who are _you_?"

Looking completely shocked, the man took several seconds to find his voice. "I'm Boodle, the mayor of this town. As for Chouchou, he's my best friends dog, him." Noodle pointed to the fluffy white dog who had been begging for meat. "He's the last thing I have to remember my friend after you damn pirates wrecked his old pet shop!"

"That's my bad!" Mohji called, a bashful look crossing his face.

"Roar!" Richie agreed shamefully.

"Holy shit!" The mayor exclaimed, only now noticing the feline. "Is that a _lion?!_ " Shaking his head, Boodle pointed to the beast tamer. "See?! I knew you were a bunch of villains!"

"Oi! It was an accident!" Mohji insisted indignantly, walking over to comfort Richie. "Do you know how hard it is to find enough food for a hungry lion?"

The mayor began to protest with a raised finger, but after a moment lowered it. "Fair enough. However! Explain why you dognapped Chouchou!"

"How dare you! I would never do something like that to an animal!" The beast tamer yelled, patting the dog on his head. "Chouchou was simply depressed because his master died and he didn't want to leave the last place that still smelled like him. He wasn't even eating the pet food because Hocker had told him not to. I simply asked him if his master would want him to waste away, or to live a full life. After understanding that, he expressed a desire to come with me and see the world."

"Really? Is that true, Chouchou?" Boodle asked the canine, who was making a point to not look the mayor in the eye. "If that's what you wanted, you never had to stick around, I wouldn't have stopped you."

"Ruff! Ruff!" Chouchou overcame his shame and bounded over to the elderly man, standing on his hind legs to lick the mayor's face.

"I'll miss you, boy." Boodle stated, rubbing the dog's head. "Make sure to stay safe."

"Ruff!" Chouchou assured, going to sit by Mohji.

"He says: 'I will'." Luffy and the beast tamer translated at the same time, causing them to give each other looks of surprise.

Looking back at the pirates, Boodle rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry I assumed you were going to do bad things…it's just, the last time I met pirates, they destroyed our town and we had to find somewhere new to rebuild, and I'm too old to do that again."

"Eh, it's alright Gramps, we're used to it," Luffy waved off, before looking to Buggy. " Hey Buggy! You have some treasure, right?"

'The Clown' felt like someone had just sucker punched him in the gut. "Y-yes." He just managed to squeak out through the pain.

"Nami!" The rubber-man then called out.

"Yeah?" The redhead responded, from where she stood chatting with her sister.

"How much would it cost to repair a pet store?"

"If you're just paying for the materials, about 1 million Beris should cover it," Nami calculated almost instantly.

Nodding, Luffy pointed at one of his newly adopted subordinates who was sporting a black eye. "Hey, you! Kyle!"

"Me?" Asked a slightly tanned man wearing a shirt that had three green Seakings and a title that read 'Sea Monster Energy' underneath.

"Yeah!" Luffy confirmed, before then pointing to the Big Top. "Go get a million Beris from your ship and bring it back here."

"Aye-aye!" The pirate saluted as he ran to complete the rubber-man's task.

"Hey, what do you need that much money for?!" Buggy demanded, his love of treasure momentarily overriding his fear.

"If Chouchou is going to be a part of our crew, we can't have his hometown getting destroyed, can we?" Luffy explained simply, silencing Buggy's protests.

At this, Boodle felt himself tearing up again. "You really are a good guy! I'll be cheering for you and Chouchou from here on out, no matter what the papers say!"

"It's no big deal, that's only a tenth of our money..." Luffy explained, only to have his head whip forward from two unexpected slaps.

"Don't go around telling people how much money we have!" Buggy and Nami exclaimed in horror, suddenly peering around suspiciously for hidden thieves.

"Here you go, Captain!" Kyle exclaimed, running up and handing over a moderately sized bag.

"Thanks!" Luffy responded, accepting the treasure.

"No problem!" Kyle grinned, shocked that he was even acknowledged. "Do you need anything else? I could punch a hole in a wall for you, if you wanted!"

"No thanks!" Luffy responded cheerfully, even though he was a little confused by the offer. "I'll keep that in mind though."

Nodding, Kyle waded back into the sea of mooks, probably never to be seen again.

"Here you go, Gramps," The rubber-man said, handing the bag of treasure over to the mayor. "Use it to repair the town."

"Of course! It and all the people who reside here are my treasure!" Boodle exclaimed, accepting the bag.

"Ding!"

Zoro and Luffy made eye contact, matching smirks on their faces.

"It's time to leave!" Luffy suddenly proclaimed, looking towards his new crew.

"What, why?" Cabaji inquired, not seeing any urgent need to leave.

"Villagers!" Luffy grinned, Moonwalking up onto the Big Top. "And they're not happy!"

"How can-" Mohji's question was cut short by suddenly audible yells, the clanking of weapons, and the rumble of stampeding feet.

"We left all the treasure on the fishing boat!" Nami suddenly exclaimed, running off with Nojiko on her heels.

"And Eel's over there too!" Koby also realized.

"But mostly the treasure!" The redhead yelled back.

"You don't have to leave! " Boodle tried to insist, waving his hands. "I can explain the circumstances!"

"We've been here long enough, anyway," Buggy dismissed casually, as he boarded the ship as well. "Next time we're around though, come see our circus!"

"Of course!" The mayor said, nodding in agreement. "Have a great adventure, Chouchou!"

"Ruff!" The canine barked, quickly giving Boodle one last lick, before boarding the Big Top with the rest of the ex-Buggy Pirates.

Just as the ship cast off, the rest of the villagers arrived at the port, throwing spears, daggers, and even rocks at the retreating vessel.

Oh, thank god you're okay!" A man exclaimed, seeing that their mayor was unharmed.

"Of course I am!" Boodle shrugged off their inspecting hands. "Stop trying to attack that ship! Stop!"

"Why?" One of the villagers questioned, her knife still raised to throw.

"Because, those were, and I can't believe I'm saying this, good pirates," The mayor explained, feeling very strange using those two words together in a sentence.

 _ **On the Big Top**_

"Shouldn't we circle back around to pick up the other two?" The female daredevil questioned, as she steered the ship further out to sea.

"No," Zoro denied, turning his head to the side, seemingly looking for something. "Actually, here they come right now."

"Is that-" Cabaji began, straining his eyes to make out the figure speeding towards their ship.

"A Seaking," Mohji confirmed matter-of-factly, his vision clearly superior to the swordsman's.

"Eel! C'mere boy!" Luffy called out, spreading his arms.

Within seconds, the monster was next to the vessel, butting his giant head into the rubber-man chest. Giggling happily, Luffy petted the beast's dorsal fin, causing him to squirm.

"And he's your pet,"Buggy noted dryly. "Of course he is…"

Not concerned with the crews looks of shock and terror, Nami and Nojiko jumped down from the sea monster, each carrying a massive duffel bag.

"Hey, Buggy!" The redhead called, pulling the clown from his reverie. "Where's your vault?"

Feeling he could use a break from the concerning view of a Seaking acting like a puppy, Buggy waved them over. "Right this way."

As the two followed their new comrade below decks, the navigator of the Buggy pirates(one of the only ones _not_ afraid of having a Seaking barely ten feet from her) called out to Luffy. "Hey, new captain! Where are we headed?"

"Gurgle!" In response, a loud rumbling suddenly sounded from Luffy's stomach, causing everyone to stare at the young man.

"Sorry!" The rubber-man chuckled, patting his belly. "All that exercise and talk of food earlier made me hungry!"

"That doesn't really answer my question, though," The daredevil sweat dropped.

Realization dawned on Zoro's face. "No."

"We're going-"

"Nonono!"

"To the Baratie!" Luffy finished, much to Zoro's chagrin.

"Fuck!" The swordsman swore, stomping his foot childishly. "Can't we go there last?"

"Do you want to end up indebted to Nami again?" The rubber-man smirked, still petting Eel. "Plus, you'll probably get to fight _him_ again."

Instantly, all signs of discontent vanished, replaced with steely resolution. "I won't lose again." Zoro vowed, but not just to Luffy. This was a promise to Kuina, to himself, and most importantly, to the crew he had previously failed.

"I know you won't," Luffy grinned, having full faith in the strength and determination of his First Mate.

 _ **East Blue, Island Of Rare Animals**_

Gaimon, the self instated Guardian of the Island of Rare Animals began his day as he had any other. First, he had woken up and had the tiphant use its trunk to give him a shower, since he wasn't able to clean himself any other way. Second, he had grabbed a couple fruits from the trees that covered the island for breakfast. Finally, he started walking the shore, keeping an eye out for any ships approaching the island, so he had time to hide for his 'Forest's Judgement'. As he was slowly walking the shore, he was suddenly cast in shadow.

"Huh?" The shrub human wondered, gazing upwards. "It didn't look like a stor-"

His thoughts died on his tongue as he caught sight of the cause of the darkness. Hovering only a couple hundred feet above the island, sat another, smaller island.

Terrified, Gaimon dashed into the forest as fast as his trapped feet could take him, hoping he wasn't seen. After running for about five minutes, the man-trapped-in-a-treasure-chest stopped, catching his breath. Trying to inhale quietly, Gaimon strained his ears, attempting to hear anything. Once his heart stopped pounding from running so fast, the man then sighed in relief, not hearing any intruders on his island.

"What was that? A floating island?" Gaimon wondered to himself. "I've heard the legends of Sky Island, but that seems a little too literal."

Abruptly, a series of savage howls and roars ripped through the air, sending chills down the man's spine and into his treasure chest, causing a knocking sound to be heard below the bellows.

 _ **Sometime later…**_

Two tall figures walked through the ruins of The Island of Rare Animals. The duo surveyed the damage gleefully, pleased with the extent of the destruction.

"Jihahaha!" The man on the right with long hair laughed, throwing his head back. "This was only five, and we have over one hundred already! Great work!"

In response, the other man began a series of charades. Watching this, the first man nodded along, seeming to understand. "So you want to have spaghetti for dinner?"

The second man then shook his head, repeating the pantomimes slower and with more emphasis.

"Oh! You want chicken carbonara, my mistake! I'm not sure what that has to do with anything though."

At this point the second man slapped the first on the back of the head. "That wasn't what I was saying at all! If you don't understand just say so!" The second man shook his head and took a breath. "Anyways, I'm not even close to being finished! Especially with all the strange combinations on this island, I'll be able to make some true terrors! Piropiropiro!"

"They'll finally regret everything they've done to me, even in the afterlife! Jihahaha!"

 **And that's the end of chapter 20!**

 ***If anyone is confused on Laugh Tale, it's the official name of Raftel, as revealed in One Piece Stampede.**

 **I bet some of you forgot that island even existed! R.I.P Gaimon.**

 **Who was Cobra calling?**

 **What's Buggy hiding?**

 **Will Zoro and Mihawk clash?**

 **Who destroyed the Island of Rare Animals?**

 **Find out next time on Dragon Ba-*cough* I mean One Piece Rebooted!**

 **Remember to follow, favorite, and review!**


	21. Divisive Decisions

**Welcome back to One Piece: Rebooted! Thanks to everybody who has been following, favoriting, and reviewing! We're over 600 follows now! That's a big number!**

 **Apologies for the wait, I really don't have an excuse. This time.**

 **I didn't have a beta-reader for this one, so I hope it's not too bad.**

 **I don't own One Piece! But maybe I could own a one piece?**

 **With that weird thought, onto the chapter!**

 _ **Remnants of the 153rd Branch of the Marines**_

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant, you need to stay in bed, you're not even close to being fully healed!" A man, wearing scrubs with the Marines insignia on his breast, yelled, concern and a bit of exasperation tinging his voice.

Ahead of him, a black haired woman who was covered almost head to toe in bandages limped with determination down a plain white hallway. Turning her head, she looked back at the doctor, resolution blazing in her eyes. "Where is Shigure and my coat, Seaman?"

The man crossed his arms, giving his commanding officer a stubborn look. "I'm not going to tell you until you are fully healed, Tashigi." He said firmly.

Tashigi's eyes hardened. "Do you know what the new punishment for insubordination is, Ukkari?"

A single bead of sweat flowed down the side of Ukkari's face. "Yes, I am very aware. It is the same punishment for people who betray their comrades." The Seaman Recruit shrugged his shoulders, his eyes hardening in turn. "So either way, I'll be suffering the same fate."

The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I follow."

"If I just let you leave with those injuries, isn't it the same as just letting you die? I am a medic after all." Ukkari responded, before his tone took on an almost begging tone. "Please. I know you are concerned about the Captain, but-"

"You don't get it!" Tashigi growled, crumpling the pieces of paper she held in her hand. "Zoro-sens-" She caught herself. "Captain Zoro clearly sacrificed himself to protect this island, and everyone on it! And how do all of you repay him?! By portraying him as one of his captors! Worse, even!"

"What...do you mean?" Ukkari questioned, his voice faltering for a moment.

"See for yourself!" Tashigi unfurled the papers in her hand, revealing three bounties.

The first was a picture of Luffy, the red hue of his skin signifying he was in Gear Second, but, paired with the rage filled features the picture displayed, it made him look more like a violent beast.

Monkey D. 'Straw Hat' Luffy, Wanted Dead or Alive: 56,000,000 Beris

The second picture was a side view of Nami, her Clima-Tact fully extended and swinging downwards with a lightning bolt following the tip.

'Tempest Temptress' Nami, Wanted Dead or Alive: 37,430,000 Beris

The final picture showed Zoro. It was a picture taken after the defeat of one of the many crews during his tenure as a Marine. Zoro grinned like a psychopath toward the photographer, blood spatter on his face and clothes, with Wado resting on his shoulder and coated in even more blood than the rest of him.

'Demon Samurai' Roronoa Zoro, Wanted Dead or Alive: 44,444,444 Beris

Ukkari's jaw slowly fell open, misunderstanding clouding his eyes. "I don't understand, why would they place a bounty on one of our own? After protecting this island with his life, no less."

Tashigi's eyes flared again. "That blond-son-of-a-bitch! He told Momonga that he saw our Captain chumming it up with the pirates as they left." The Lieutenant scoffed. "Obviously you don't antagonize your captors, unless you _want_ to die. I can't believe Momonga took the word of that rat!"

The Seaman huffed in agreement and astonishment. "I still can't believe he took down that pirate, either." Ukkari then placed a hand on his superior's shoulder, ignoring the involuntary wince he felt under the bandages. "Either way, it won't do the Captain any good by running off after him half-cocked. Plus, our yearly inspection is in only a couple of days. We need you _here._ You know what kind of man the Fleet Admiral is."

Tashigi started, before looking at the wall, searching for a calendar or clock to confirm the date. "Already?! How long was I unconscious?!"

The man cringed, forgetting he hadn't had the chance to tell her in the moment. "A week."

For the first time, Tashigi's morals conflicted with her duty to her men. After a brief mental debate, the woman nodded to herself. _'I can trust Sensei to survive. If I leave now...nothing good can come of it. I'm not abandoning you, as soon as I've healed fully, I'm coming to save you! Don't let those filthy pirates kill you!'_ Her decision made, the lieutenant glared back at her subordinate. "What are we waiting for, soldier? Let's go make the rounds!"

Ukkari tried to reason once more, his spirits falling. "But your wounds-"

Channeling Smoker and Zoro, Tashigi's glare intensified, silencing the man. "Why do you think you're coming with me?!"

As understanding flowed through him, Ukkari smiled and saluted. "Aye, Lieutenant!"

Without further words, Tashigi turned on her heel and continued on her way, Ukkari following at her heels.

 _ **East Blue, Somewhere on the Ocean**_

Like a drop of ink on a white canvas, the Big Top floated atop the sparkling waters of the weakest sea, disrupting the otherwise unsullied view that extended for miles in every direction. Not satisfied with just breaking the facade of pristine wilderness, however, the passengers of the vessel drowned out the calm sloshing of water with a series of howls and grunts that wouldn't be out of place in a menagerie.

The origin of the sounds was three fold, starting with a large group of pirates dressed in circus themed attire that were struggling mightily to complete a series of push-ups on the deck. In front of the first group, four more figures lay doing push-ups as well, only at twice the speed, yet appeared far less exhausted than the mostly debilitated mass that surrounded them in a semicircle. Finally, leading the entire group, two more people at the front were doing push-ups faster than anyone else, their bodies blurring slightly from the speed.

"One thousand!" The two men called out after finishing their final set. In contrast to the chorus of exhaustion that surrounded them like a second ocean, the duo seemed barely affected by the intense workout. The only noticeable sign of their exertion being the veneer of sweat glistening on their skin.

"Five hundred!" The quartet gasped in determination, before relaxing in relief that their torture had ended.

"Two hundred and fifty!" The group of pirates moaned, before collapsing to the deck in puddles of their own sweat, completely unable to do anything but lay spread eagled as their bodies rushed to heal and strengthen their strained muscles.

"Alright! Fifteen minute break!" One of the leading voices called out, as he stood up, revealing the shirtless form of Zoro. "We'll continue with sit ups after!"

"How...huff...many...huff...this...gah...time…?" The man who was oft seen juggling daggers questioned, as he attempted to take deep breaths to slow his pounding heart.

"Five hundred." The answer was stated flippantly, as if it was a simple task anyone could do, even a child.

The ex-Buggy pirates felt their collective spirits plummet through the deck of their ship and into the dark, icy depths below. In their despair, the group didn't even notice as another green haired man was bodily flung across the ship and into the railing where he slumped in pain.

"Can...huff...I...huff...just...huff...die...huff...instead…?" Another ruffian asked, only half joking.

Hearing the question, Zoro smiled, but it was anything but reassuring. "Sure. But that won't save you. It will only seal your fate." As he spoke, the swordsman's eyes seemed to momentarily turn into beams of pure bloodlust that stilled even the shakes of exhaustion, and his breath became a poisonous miasma as it flowed from his mouth and swirled around him like an aura of death. " **I'm sure Umi would love some toys in her cage**."

As if in response, a light breeze blew past the ears of the now terrified marauders, caressing them softly, like one would a child, or pet. _'You bet I would…'_ As the wind continued to flow past, a petite, yet cruel giggle was carried with it, chilling the sea rats to the bone in spite of the temperate weather.

" **Now...What will it be?"** Zoro waited, expecting them to cower from his question.

"We will follow your direction, Prophet Zoro!"

The swordsman was so blindsided by the response that his menacing aura faded to nothing. "...Come again?"

"God spoke on your behalf! That means you're a prophet!" One of the pirates explained, the awe that shone out from his eyes mirrored in the eyes of his comrades.

His metaphorical sails drooping, Zoro simply sighed, knowing he should have expected some weird response, yet was still surprised by it nonetheless. "Just...do your sit-ups."

"Yes, Prophet!"

Immediately, the group forced their knees into the correct position and began hammering out the exercises with almost robotic precision. When any of them began to slow, or struggle, their mates would remind them not to disappoint the prophet, or their new god.

Watching the fervent, bordering on zealous, enthusiasm, Zoro shook his head in disbelief and ironic humor, only to lay down to start on his own set of two thousand. "How does an atheist become a prophet?"

0o0

While Zoro was wrangling his new students, his captain began his own, more...personal, lessons.

"You don't get a break!" Luffy declared to the quartet, standing from his set of push ups to reveal that his vest, necklace and signature hat were nowhere to be seen, replaced with the view of perfectly toned flesh. Immediately after finishing his warning, the rubber-man disappeared from sight with only a quiet displacement of air.

"That's not fair!" Koby exclaimed, his limbs still slightly numb from the brutal workout he had just finished.

Appearing to Koby's right as if he had teleported, Luffy appeared, his fist already cocked. With intentionally slow and sloppy form, the straw hatted teen threw a haymaker at his cabin boy. Stepping into the punch, Coby blocked the attack with his left arm, gritting his teeth as the blow reverberated through his body. Simultaneously, the cabin boy retaliated with a jab towards Luffy's solar plexus, his limbs acting purely on muscle memory. Smirking at his crewmate's improvement, the Captain caught the pinkette's fist in his own hand and pulled him forward into the knee that rushed up to meet the boy's stomach.

"Gah!" Koby grunted as the wind was knocked out of him, and fell to the ground holding his chest.

"Do you think your enemies will give you a break?" Luffy asked rhetorically, pulling his leg back for another attack. "Or be afraid to kick you when you're down?"

"Obviously not!" Buggy exclaimed from behind the duo, as he detached his upper body and flew to join the ensuing battle. "Now, together!"

Just as the rubber-man was about to finish kicking forward, he felt something leather wrap around his ankle, stopping the limb before it could further injure Koby. Without needing to look down, Luffy knew that it was Mohji's whip that had restrained him. At the same time, Buggy's torso finally crossed the distance and grabbed the time traveler in a Full Nelson, restraining Luffy's arms and head.

"It's time for a win!" Cabaji shouted as he sped toward his new captain on his unicycle, his feet pedaling furiously. As he neared Luffy, the acrobat drew his sword and jumped into the air and began to spin like a deadly top. "Dirty Acrobatics: Carnage Carousel!"

"Better, but…" The raven haired teen began, kicking off the deck with his free foot. "Never think you've won until your enemy isn't moving!"

As he jumped backward, the rubber-man waited until his body was parallel with the floor and kicked off the air with Moonwalk, slamming his body, and Buggy's, into the deck of the Big Top. The drop rattled Buggy's hold enough that Luffy was able to throw his head back into the clown pirate's nose with an audible crack.

"Damn!" Buggy yelped in pain, reflexively releasing his grip on the rubber-man to clutch at his bleeding face.

Now free, the captain rolled to the side just as Cabaji slashed the area he just occupied, the blunt side of the acrobat's sword bouncing off the deck. Seeing Luffy escape from Buggy's hold, and knowing it would be dangerous to leave it attached, Mohji flicked his whip, releasing it from the rubber-man's ankle and returning it to his hand.

"We need to keep him off balance!" Koby called out, as he struggled to his feet, forcing himself to ignore the pain from Luffy's attack.

"No shit, brat!" Cabaji yelled back as he readied himself to continue their 'spar', a scowl curving downwards on his face. "I've been fighting for longer than you've been alive, I don't need your 'advice'!"

"He's barely older than me and _still_ kicking all of our asses!" Koby pointed out, sending a glare back at the acrobat, all thoughts of uncertainty washed away by anger and frustration.

"Dodge!" Buggy suddenly warned from his place on the ground, hoping that it had come in time.

"Who said you could argue right now?" Luffy spoke right into Cabaji's ear, as he kicked him in the side, brutally ragdolling the acrobat across the deck and into the railing of the ship. At the same time, Cabaji's unicycle fell to the ground, no longer supported by his balance. Picking up the means of transportation, Luffy briefly looked at it, before throwing it over his shoulder. "I wonder how you'll do without that?"

In response, Cabaji simply groaned in pain.

"Never mind, then," The rubber-man sweatdropped.

"Mohji, Buggy, follow my lead!...please," Koby exclaimed, a look of trepidation filling his face. Yet, unlike in the past, there was something else that also shone from his eyes. Determination. Confidence.

"Go for it, kid," Buggy shrugged, as he reformed his body fully. "We can't do _worse_."

"Sometimes it's best to lead, sometimes it's best to be led," Mohji nodded to himself, as he curled his whip around his right hand. "Let's do it, kit."

"Can you also stop calling me a child?" Koby asked, his eyes now shining with hope as well.

"No!" Came the unanimous response from everyone present, even those not involved in the melee.

"C'mon!" The pinkette pouted, even though he had been expecting that answer. Shrugging off his disappointment, Koby became solemn, once more focusing on their spar. "Keep him in one spot, I've been working on a technique that should break through his defense!"

"A fight isn't a place to get distracted!" Luffy declared, a serious look on his face. "Pay attention to the enemy in front of you!"

Immediately, the rubber-man was on the offensive once more, already speeding towards the beast tamer before they had a chance to form a plan. Knowing Mohji preferred to stay at mid range and support his animal companions(or crewmates) in battle, Luffy decided to pressure him in his weakest area: close combat. Aiming for the head, the raven haired teen roundhouse kicked with his left foot, putting just enough strength behind it to almost over power the beast tamer.

Seeing the straightforward attack, Mohji smirked snidely. "Did you think I wouldn't learn anything from those past beatings?" He asked, as he gripped his whip in both hands and brought the taut leather up to block the powerful kick, his arms shaking from the power behind it. As soon as the rubber-man's leg was stopped, Mohji's hands lashed out like a snake and wrapped his whip around Luffy's ankle, once more trapping it.

"Python Prison!" The beast tamer announced, naming his new technique. "Go, Koby!"

"I still-"

"Landlubber's Double Chop Cannon!" Buggy interrupted Luffy's reprimand, by shooting both his hands low to the ground in order to capture the straw-hatted teen's remaining foot. "Followed by...Chop Armbar!"

Using his ability to hover, Buggy floated perpendicular to the ground and wrapped his feetless legs around Luffy's right arm while at the same time gripping the rubber-man's left arm with his own handless limbs. That done, the Clown bent his body backwards making the rubber-man's limbs fully extended and unable to move. "I won't be able to hold him for very long! Get him, Koby!"

"I hope this works…" Koby mumbled to himself, as he flexed his legs, readying them for a herculean effort. "Ten steps, ten steps…" The cabin boy chanted, subconsciously hoping to psych himself up to succeed. "Shave!"

Not able to mimic the semblance of instantaneous movement that Luffy achieved, Koby simply decoupled in speed, turning into a pink blur as he crossed the distance between him and his captain in milliseconds. At the same time, however, Buggy could feel his grip lessening on Luffy's right foot.

"Dammit, no!" Buggy cursed, as he felt himself lose his hold completely.

"Not a chance, you straw hatted bastard!" Cabaji declared suddenly, jumping from where he had laid slumped to retrap Luffy's leg before he was able to leap out of the way again. "We're not going to be the only ones with bruises this time! Give him hell, Koby!"

Knowing he was finally caught, Luffy looked up at the pink haze that was his cabin boy and grinned fiercely, while coating his stomach in a thin layer of Armament. "Give me your best shot, Koby! Just know it's gonna hurt like a son of bitch!"

' _No matter what, I have to follow through, no matter how much it hurts, no matter how much I want to stop. Remember_ her _!'_ Koby told himself, as he cocked his right fist.

Using the considerable momentum from his Shave, Koby rooted himself inside Luffy's guard and punched with all his strength into his captain's stomach. The moment his hand collided with the well defined chest of the rubber-man, Koby felt no give at all. It was like his fist had met a brick wall, or worse, a poneglyph. For half a moment, Koby wanted to stop. He was scared of the pain, of breaking his hand, of the repercussions of assaulting his captain, no matter that he was told to. The cabin boy squashed that part of him with extreme prejudice. Did she hesitate? No. So neither would he.

Reaching deep within him, Koby rooted himself even further and pulled the last dregs of energy in his body and forced himself to hit even harder than before.

"Rose Crash!" He shouted, using his technique's name to focus on putting his all into this one attack.

As he pushed harder and harder against the unyielding, invisible layer of armor, Koby felt his wrist compact into his hand, then his elbow began to strain mightily, feeling like he was going to dislocate the joint simply from punching, when, all of a sudden, the resistance was momentarily gone, replaced by comparably soft flesh. Grinning in victory, Koby gave one last heave, finishing his attack and sending Luffy skidding backwards, his stomach smoking from the impact. As soon as his assault ended, the pink haired teen collapsed to the floor, his legs spasming uncontrollably from the effort of using one of the Six Powers. Soon after, Buggy, Mohji, and Cabaji all joined him on the floor, holding their back, hands, or side respectively.

Luffy, on the other hand, simply stood where he had been pushed, the steam wafting off his injury obscuring his face. Tilting his face upward, the rubber-man stared down at his exhausted subordinates. Even though his face was visible, it was impossible to tell what the teen was thinking. Anger? Happiness? If anyone could tell, they weren't saying.

Suddenly, Koby felt a hint of his old self resurface. _'Was he mad because I hit him? But it was training, he told us to! Although…'_ The cabin boy pinched himself, frowning. _'Luffy is nothing like Alvida. He doesn't punish excessively, nor belittle extensively. He has done only what I asked for, nothing more._ Nodding, Koby waited, not that he had much of a choice, for the rubber-man's assessment.

Buggy, meanwhile, was pissed. Not at anyone else, mind you. He was furious at himself. _'Have I really fallen so far? I remember fighting for days against Whitebeard and Shiki's lackeys! Although, I don't really have any reason to be strong anymore, do I? Especially since_ he _became a Warlord, my dream has truly become a search for fool's gold."_

' _Who are these guys?!'_ Cabaji wondered to himself, as he often did after training. _'They're like the stories I have heard from Buggy about the Roger pirates, but at less than half the age!'_ Something was off about this whole thing, and he would figure out what. Somehow.

Unlike his friends, Mohji wasn't fearful, angry, or perturbed. Due to his childhood, the beast tamer instinctively understood the body language of most living creatures. For instance, Luffy was momentarily frozen from hunger, but also quite pleased, most likely from the progress they had made in the past days since leaving the Organ Islands. Understanding that, Mohji simply relaxed, knowing there were few people who could hurt him while surrounded by his new pride. With that thought the beast tamer flinched, momentarily disgusted with himself. _'I didn't mean it! I could never...forget…'_

The reason Luffy paused was because he had been eating as little as he possibly could the last few days in anticipation of once more enjoying Sanji's heavenly cooking. Cooking that, once upon a time, he had taken for granted. Normal food simply didn't satisfy him as much anymore. Sure, he still loved meat, and would eat as much as he could, given the chance, but it simply wasn't the _same._ Therefore, when Koby had given him a half decent punch to the gut, the rubber-man had to take a moment to collect himself as his partially starved stomach churned and roiled from the impact.

Raising his head, the rubber-man took in the looks of momentary fear then expectation, inward focused rage into depression, confusion converted into resolution, and finally contentment followed by guilt.

They really were as interesting as any of his other friends. Why didn't he consider this last time? Maybe then none of that would have happened...

Feeling his mouth widen automatically, Luffy let all his fleeting doubts and regrets do just that, flee into the unused parts of his mind. Instead, the rubber-man let himself simply bask in the pride of having competent students and the visceral glee of a good fight. Tilting his head downward to face his friends, Luffy instinctively made sure that his smile was directed right at them, helping to dispel their own fluctuating thoughts.

"That was awesome!" The tone was so encouraging that the quartet felt _physically_ better upon hearing it, allowing them to fully sit up. "You have finally made it to Captain rank!"

After Luffy decided upon recruiting more members to his crew and training them, Garp saw fit to explain his own training methods, which were...extreme, to say the least. 'The Fist', whenever he took on a new apprentice, would always start with intense physical training until their body was able to move as quickly as their minds thought. Upon that point, the Vice Admiral would begin battle training.

Battle training consisted of the aging Marine beating the ever loving snot out of his students with the strength of an above average Captain until they were able to land a solid hit, or simply gave up. More often than not, the trainees would quit after either the second day of the workout, or the second day of being beaten up.

The results spoke for themselves, however. Any Marine that completed the eccentric Admiral's training, ended up being Rear Admiral or higher in rank, and wielded the strength expected of those titles. Even Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru had been put through the so-called Hell's Training, before being put under the furthered tutelage of "Black Arm" Zephyr.

Once Luffy understood how effective the training was, upon experiencing it himself, he decided that he would adapt it for his own use, to steadily increase his new friends' strength, which brought him to this moment. Of course, the Captain never explained any of this verbally, so no one understood what he meant.

"Huh?" The group questioned in sync, varying looks of confusion creasing their faces.

Still smiling, Luffy waved them off. "You're strong now!"

With that non-explanation, the rubber-man began to walk off toward one of the hatches that led below decks, no doubt intending to raid the kitchens for something to eat after the workout. Not satisfied with his response, the quartet hobbled to cut him off, careful not to step on any of the other pirates doing sit-ups that were spread around the deck. As they blocked his path, Luffy gave them a questioning look through his ever-present grin.

"What's up?"

"What do you mean by 'we're strong now'?! We we're still getting obliterated by you!" Cabaji admitted reluctantly, bewilderment etched into every inch of his body.

"Well, duh!" Luffy then stuck his tongue out childishly. "I'm hungry and no good at explaining stuff! Ask Nami, she's smart and good at that kind of thing!"

A feminine sigh of fondness was heard behind them. "How am I supposed to be exasperated when you compliment me like that, huh?" Nami asked from where she laid sunbathing next to Nojiko on the deck in a blue, two piece bikini.

"Thanks, Nami!" Luffy waved cheerfully without a care as he continued on his path to the kitchen.

"Yeah, whatever," Nami sighed again, although it couldn't hide the smile that rose the corners of her mouth. Seeing the group indecisively look between her and the retreating back of the rubber-man, the navigator decided to be a bit more pushy. "Flashy Weirdo! Narcissistic Gymnast! Lion Freak! Naive Brat! Get over here!"

Hearing the loud outburst, the rest of the occupants on deck paused to see what the commotion was about.

"You're damn right I'm flashy!" Buggy responded, turning to go speak with the redhead.

"Finally someone recognizes my lion heart!" Mohji agreed, thumping his chest as he followed his ex-captain.

As the group of exercising pirates listened in on the conversation, they could only be confused. _'Why are you acting like it was a compliment, what about the second part?!"_

"Oi, I'm an acrobat, get it right!" Cabaji corrected in irritation.

"And I'm not a brat!" Coby denied in tandem with the swordsman.

' _That's what you take exception to?!"_

"Yeah, yeah, just get over here," Nami reiterated as she sat up, taking in the group's most obvious changes. Coby no longer seemed so short, mostly from no longer stooping in subservience to everyone around him. Buggy, Cabaji, and Mohji were obviously more fit, with the contours of muscle peeking through their baggy clothes. _'Well, with that insane training how could they not be…'_ The redhead chuckled, as she reached down into a purse that laid on the ground next to her chair, and pulled out a simple hand mirror. "Look into this and tell me what you see."

The four started to question her request, but she simply started to tap her foot impatiently to interrupt them. With a collective eye roll of annoyance, the group peered into the looking glass, unsure of what they were supposed to see. After a moment of staring at their reflections, Buggy, Mohji, Cabaji, and Koby finally recognized the changes that everyone else had already begun to notice days before. "Do you see the difference? Do you see what your efforts have wrought?"

Unable to simply accept the fruits of their labor, the quartet continued to protest.

"But we were still _losing!"_

"What does a couple of muscles matter?!"

"How can I protect anyone with strength that pitiful?!"

"A lion doesn't have others protect him!"

Nami sighed again, resignation coating it like paint. _'Well, I can understand their frustration, but they need to have a little faith in themselves. I guess Luffy was right after all. Why can't they just listen? Dammit, Zoro, I really didn't want to do it this way...'_

 _ **Flashback**_

 _ **One day ago**_

Overhead, the moon shone brightly, barely illuminating the forms of Zoro, Nami, Nojiko, and Eel as they stood, or floated in the Seaking's case, near the edge of the Big Top looking expectantly at Luffy, who stood across from them idly stretching.

Seeing as no one else seemed like they were going to break the slightly awkward silence that reigned, Nojiko cleared her throat. " _So_ , why did you ask us all here in the middle of the night, Luffy?"

While none of the others expressed it in words, their body language made clear their own interest.

"I need your help." Luffy said easily, his grin erasing any thoughts of denying him.

Zoro simply raised an eyebrow at his Captain. "With?"

The rubber-man's grin seemed to shrink ever so slightly. "Koby, Buggy, Cabaji, and Mohji are almost strong enough to land a hit on me."

Now it was Eel's turn to question his friend. "Bwa?"

"But," Luffy popped the 't', emphasizing it. "I don't think they _feel_ their strength properly."

Understanding was lit in Nami's eyes. "You need us to show them that they are stronger. So they...feel it."

Luffy's grin redoubled at the navigator's answer. "I knew you would understand!"

"That's my sis for ya!" Nojiko praised, slinging her arm around Nami's neck and making a peace sign.

"Living vicariously, are you?" Zoro asked with a smirk.

"You know," The bluette began with her own growing smile. "I think you're looking up words and using them in an attempt to look like you knew them beforehand."

Zoro didn't respond, choosing to simply glare at Nojiko, the smallest dusting of red darkening his cheeks.

"And that," Nami spoke up, mirroring her sister by wrapping an arm around the bluette in turn. "Is _my_ sis!" To finish her ribbing, the red head stuck her tongue out at Zoro and winked.

"Two on one isn't honorable…" The first mate grumbled to himself and turned away, conceding the verbal spar.

"Bwaaa…" Eel whined like an ignored puppy and set his head on the deck, hoping for pets.

Reaching out, Luffy began to scratch the Seaking where the dorsal fin reached his head and looked questioningly at the others, his grin still unchanged. "So…?"

Nami gave him a look of exasperated disbelief. "Seriously? Do you really need to ask? Of course I'll help." After a moment, though, her face tightened. "Although, I'll be honest, I don't trust Buggy. Koby is very naive, and Cabaji and Mohji are even dumber than the Mosshead over here, so they're whatever. But something about that clown is off."

"He lied, you know," Luffy smiled, but, coupled with his words, it seemed almost sinister. "About his dream. Not completely, gaining that amount of treasure was definitely part of it, but it was also not the whole thing."

"I thought something seemed off then." Zoro nodded in understanding. "I had been intending to ask you about that, but now there's no need."

Immediately, the navigator's eyes darkened. "Then-"

"Don't worry about it." Zoro cut in, staring down Nami. "I had the same suspicions about you, at the beginning. And I was right.".

"That was totally different!" The redhead protested, a hurt look sweeping past her expression. "Either way, shouldn't you share my concerns?"

The swordsman shook his head. "I was also wrong. You had your reasons for not telling us, and Luffy seemed to sense that. Plus, he's the Captain. No matter my personal feelings, I chose to trust his instincts. So you'll have to as well."

Nami still seemed conflicted, but relented. "Fine then, I'll trust Luffy's instincts too. For now."

"It doesn't really concern me, but I guess I can help out if my sister is going to," Nojiko responded to Luffy's earlier inquiry with a careless shrug.

"Bwa!" Eel seemed to agree from the rubber-man's arms.

Zoro simply smirked as he patted the three swords at his side. "Just let us know."

"Then I'll leave it to you guys," Luffy grinned back at his friends, as he turned and left them to make a plan. Pausing for a moment, the rubber-man turned his head back. "And just tell Eel the plan once you make it, if you need him. He will understand." Luffy then looked specifically to Eel and began to speak utter gibberish. "Night, boy. The others will tell you the plan later." With his friend no longer there to give him attention, Eel slid back under the water and returned to sleep like his Captain.

Seeing the rubber-man leave, Zoro grabbed the two sisters by the shoulders and pulled them into a huddle, giving them both the side eye. "Like I said, I will follow Luffy's orders...up to a certain point. _But_ sometimes...you have to protect him from himself." He turned briefly to focus on Nojiko. "I don't think you have any intention of staying with us, and, even if you do, you're strong enough, so I have no objections." He then turned to Nami. "I know you don't like to do things...physically. However, if they can't be persuaded with words…" The swordsman trailed off for a moment, letting the pause explain his intent. "We need to show them what they'll be facing in a non-lethal environment. If they falter and decide to abandon the crew? Well, we saved their lives and ourselves unnecessary heartbreak."

"But what you said earlier-" Nami began, indignation clear in her voice.

Zoro waved a hand, cutting her off. "Nothing has changed. Luffy didn't specify how to make them understand their strength. Just because the Captain accepts them, doesn't mean _I_ do. All our other crewmates proved themselves before they ever even joined, yourself included, so I didn't need to do this. You know who I will most likely have to face when we get to the Baratie. I won't be able to protect them during those moments." Zoro gripped his swords so hard his knuckles turned white. "And what if I...lose?" He didn't say the word he was thinking. "You guys will be stuck with a bunch of weaklings who can't even protect themselves."

Nami's eyes narrowed. Normally, she would have slapped the swordsman for spouting such stupidity, but she felt that wouldn't be the best thing to do this time, no matter how much her hand twitched. So, instead, she put her palm on top of Zoro's straining fist in an unusual show of comfort. "Before that bastard has a chance to end you, he'll get a mouthful of lightning, courtesy of yours truly." She smirked at him, showing her sincerity. Zoro looked up, feeling a bit of the stress that constantly pulsed in the back of his mind lessen to a mild throb. He smiled back, not one of his fake smirks, this was a genuine smile, one he hadn't been able to muster since before they Returned.

Feeling out of place in the moment, like an intruder, Nojiko coughed into her hand, unable to take it any longer. Her sister and the swordsman almost seemed to wince, as if they had forgotten she was there, so absorbed were they in the moment. Quick as a frightened rabbit, the two pulled their hands away from the other, and avoided eye contact, instead choosing to look past the other into the horizon. The bluette felt a stab of regret at breaking the moment, but it had just been so damn awkward!

' _Although, this isn't much better,'_ She reflected _._ Repressing her momentary guilt, Nojiko once more coughed into her hand. " _So,_ what _was_ your plan?"

Seeing an opening to fill the uncomfortable silence, Zoro spoke up. "It's very simple…"

 _ **Flashback End**_

Putting both her pinky fingers in her mouth, Nami let rip an extremely loud whistle that seemed to fill the air for minutes, even though it was only a couple of seconds. In response, the group stared at the redhead in confusion.

"Why did you suddenly whistle?" Koby wondered aloud, arching an eyebrow.

"I have sensitive ears, a warning would have been nice!" Mohji groaned, gripping at his ears in pain.

Cabaji and Buggy immediately palmed at their weapons, the sound bringing back bad memories of ambushes from their childhoods.

Nami chuckled nefariously at their skittishness. "Oh, that? I was simply sounding the bell of TRIALS!" The last part of her announcement came out as a battle cry, as her Clima-Tact seemed to materialize into her hands as she whipped the staff viciously towards Mohji's head.

At the same time, Nojiko blurred toward Buggy as an aqua glow outlined her form, seeming to transform her simple dagger into a blazing, deadly short sword as it rushed towards his head, and the 'Clown' knew, instinctively, that if that blade were to cut him, his Devil Fruit would not save his life this time.

In sync with the two sisters, Zoro seemed to teleport in front of Cabaji, Kitetsu III and his, as of yet, unnamed blade already swinging for the acrobat's neck.

Finally, Eel shot out of the ocean, and for the first time, Koby truly understood the true terror of a Seaking, as it bared down upon him, the creature's numerous, dagger-like teeth all intending to rip the cabin boy to shreds.

Inside their minds, the quartet all thought the same thing. _'I'm going to die!'_

In seeming defiance of that thought, however, their bodies, too, moved in tandem. Mohji's whip flew into his grasp, and, mirroring his use earlier, blocked the incoming bo staff with surprising ease, and trapped the weapon in a twist of leather. With the implement halted, the beast tamer took the chance to snap a front kick at his attacker, who, using their connection, shifted his weight to make the attack miss, and returning them to their previous standstill.

With equal quickness, instead of evading the blow, Buggy ran into Nohjiko's guard, making it almost impossible to swing her blazing dagger effectively, gripped the lapel of her shirt to ensure she simply couldn't jump away, and held one of his own knives to her neck.

Cabaji, not one to be out done by Mohji, unsheathed his sword and barely blocked Zoro's blades with the side of his own, sparks flying from the collision of metal, and immediately went on the offensive, taking his own swing at the first mate, only to end with his katana locked in a stalemate against Zoro's.

As terror coursed through his muscles, instead of locking up, as one would expect, Koby's body instantly met the sea monster's charge with his own. Barely side stepping before the beast cleaved him in twain, the pinkette felt adrenaline wash away his exhaustion and subconsciously readied himself for a counterattack. As the Seaking's snout rushed past, Koby wrapped both arms around the sea monster's mouth, and gripped it shut, like one would if they were wrangling a crocodile.

"Nobody move, or I slit her throat!" Buggy exclaimed, the dagger that rested against Nojiko's neck quivering from the excitement and fear still pumping through his veins.

"Oh, please," Nojiko intoned without a hint of fear. With movement that dwarfed her previous, the bluette whipped her empty hand upward and grabbed Buggy's, her aqua aura flashing brightly where contact was made.

"Wha…?" Buggy wondered as he felt the strength in his body evaporate like a puddle under the summer sun, collapsing to the floor in a momentary heap, along with his dagger which embedded itself in the floorboards mere inches from his feet..

After watching the separation-man fall, Nojiko, Nami, and Zoro all broke their standoffs and sheathed their weapons, all traces of malice vanishing from their countenances'. No longer locked in combat, Mohji and Cabaji rushed to their downed ex-captain, checking to make sure he was okay.

"What did you do to him?!" Cabaji demanded, as he placed two fingers against Buggy's neck to check his pulse. Feeling a normal, if slightly quickened, beat, the acrobat calmed marginally, although he still eyed his supposed crewmates with suspicion.

"Nothing, just made him...relax for a bit," Nojiko explained with a slight huff, flipping her hair to accentuate her displeasure at Cabaji's insinuation. _'Like I would just kill someone so casually.'_

"Eel, calm down, we're done here, there's no need to make them panic anymore than they already have," Nami stated patiently to the Seaking, like one would a hyperactive child.

Eel, from where he still struggled half-heartedly to escape from Koby's grasp, froze in place from the tone of her voice. It reminded him of his mother, or, at least, the half-remembered echoes of her from his childhood, before his father…

Eel shut those memories off before he started repeatedly mulling them over for days, asking why, even though he would never come to a satisfactory conclusion. The only thing that mattered from those memories, anyways, was that you **never** disobeyed a mother Seaking, especially your own, and the red -scaled one's inflection was all too similar to simply be ignored. Plus, Eel had seen what had happened to the green-scaled one and his own friend, and he wasn't keen on experiencing it for himself...again. Therefore, he completely stopped his writhing, and let the pink-scaled one release his snout, and once he did so, Eel retreated back under the waves, hoping he would get a special snack for doing such a good job.

"What. The. _Hell?!"_ Koby sternly questioned, after releasing the sea monster and watching with a bit of trepidation as it simply resubmerged itself, menacingly.

"Okay, okay!" Nami sighed, putting up her arms in a motion of treatise. "I know that probably looked like we just tried to kill all four of you-"

"There was no looking, that was _exactly_ what you did!" Mohji accused, pointing a clawed finger at the redhead.

"No, it really wasn't. If we wanted you dead, you'd be dead." Zoro stated matter-of-factly.

"Not _helping,_ Zoro!" Nami growled, sending a glare at the swordsman, before looking back at the quartet. "We were just trying to help you-"

" _Help?!_ You call attempted murder, help?!" Cabaji screeched incredulously, his eyes hardening in rage. "What-"

"Yes," Zoro spoke up once more, stepping in front of Nami, almost protectively. "If you want to hate someone, hate me. I chose this method. Nami wanted to talk it out, let you understand your strength in a less direct way. That didn't work, as I knew it wouldn't, so this is what we went with."

"There was no need to go so far-"

Zoro's glare felt like a physical strike to Koby as it settled on the cabin boy, forcing the pinkette to recoil in shock from its ferocity. "You don't know anything, none of you do. What it feels like to have someone die right in front of you, without the power to save them. What it feels like to not be able to even help yourself. I won't let us go through that again. If you think there's no need, you can leave right now. I truly don't agree with Luffy's decision to add you guys, but he is my captain, so I won't question it." Koby didn't think it was possible, but Zoro's eyes hardened even further, pain and fear slowly seeping through a mask of anger. "But if you think I won't do everything to protect every one of my crewmates from that pain, you're a fool."

Surprising the first mate, Koby recovered quickly, and stared back at him with a face full of indignant rage, pointing a damning finger in his face. "You're the fool."

"Excuse me, brat?!" Zoro couldn't believe what he was hearing. What did this kid know of true suffering? He got beat up? Maybe he shouldn't have been such a fucking coward then!

"I said, _you're the fool!_ Do you think you're the only one who's experienced that hopelessness?!" Koby screamed in the swordsman's face, spittle spewing from his lips and tears beginning to leak from his eyes. "I've seen how you act! Pretending like you're better than everyone else! You're just a coward! Afraid to get close to anyone new!"

Zoro raised his hand, wanting to smack the cabin boy for mouthing off like he knew anything, but, when he saw the teen flinch from the threatening limb, he clenched it closed, turned on his heel, and stomped off below decks. Maybe…

' _No! I'm not wrong, they're just too weak!"_

As Nami watched him leave, her eyes softened with concern for her friend. After his form disappeared, she turned back to the remaining crewmates, hoping to salvage some fragment of morale. "I'm sorry. I knew it would be a bad idea, but I couldn't think of a better way to make you guys believe in yourselves, aside from it. We honestly wouldn't have hurt you guys." Her eyes grew callous. "But he was right. Once we get to the Baratie, we can't guarantee your safety, and Zoro feels that burden more than all of us. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you aren't able to trust in that strength. It would be better to not even have it." Nami's face softened again. "But do you understand your strength now?"

Slowly, the four trainees nodded their heads, remembering how their bodies had reacted to speeds and power they would have never imagined previously.

Nami smiled, but it was artificial, like a plastic fruit, far away it could fool someone, but on closer inspection it lost all credibility. "Then, if Luffy needs you to use that strength, will you?"

Again, the quartet nodded, slowly, reluctantly.

"That's all I need to hear." The redhead's smile became more genuine, although it was still diluted with melancholy. "Go, rest, we've stressed you enough today."

Hearing the dismissal in her voice, the quartet stood and headed for the hatch that led below decks. Before Koby started down, however, he turned his head back towards Nami, tears and snot partially dried on his face. "The First Mate was right about one thing. I _was_ a fool. A fool for thinking I could trust bloody _pirates._ " He spoke the last word with a loathing that was very familiar for Nami. The navigator almost flinched, a slideshow of her previous betrayals flashing before her.

 _ **Flashback**_

"We trusted you!" A small group of pirates lamented, as they struggled to stay afloat on what remained of their ship.

"I thought we were friends!" Another group cried, as they were led to the gallows by a platoon of Marines.

"How...could...you…?" A single pirate croaked as they were strangled from behind with her own hands.

Nami also remembered how she had always answered those exclamations. "Why would you trust a pirate? Hee hee!"

 _ **Flashback End**_

Koby then turned to Nojiko, tears once more falling from his eyes, pain clear to see for all, but he didn't seem able to come up with the right words. "Just, fuck you, _sis."_ His tone dripped with sarcasm as he turned on his heel and stomped after Buggy, Cabaji, and Mohji.

Unused to such vitriol, Nojiko couldn't resist recoiling as if struck. "I-" She tried to respond, to defend her actions, but nothing came to mind, even if they were still within earshot. After a moment, the bluette's face contorted in anger. "This isn't _our_ fault! If you four weren't a group of pussies, we wouldn't have had to do that at all!" Even as she yelled the words, however, Nojiko knew that wasn't true. Turning back to her sister, the bluette noticed that the rest of the ex-Buggy pirates were staring at them, shock, concern, or simple curiosity marking their faces. It pissed her off. "What are you assholes looking at?!"

Immediately, the slack jawed pirates busied themselves with anything that didn't include looking anywhere in their general direction.

Huffing in annoyance, Nojiko grabbed her sister's upper arm, dragging her towards another of the hatches that lead into the hull. "I need a stiff drink, and you're coming with me."

Nami started, having been pulled from her temporary purgatory. "What?"

Nojiko didn't stop, but simply reiterated. "We're getting a drink."

"Oh, that sounds good." Even after an argument, Nami couldn't help teasing her sister. "Just don't pass out this time, alright?"

Nojiko rolled her eyes at the dig, but also smiled, glad that her sisterly bond was still strong.

0o0

After the confrontation, the Big Top returned mostly to normal, at least, on the surface. Underneath the fragile facade, a stew of fluctuating malcontent brewed. Everyone could feel the unease, with certain crewmates avoiding others, not speaking with them, or simply acting as if they didn't exist at all. Overall, the ship was divided into three, with Zoro, Nojiko, Nami, and Eel in one group, Koby, Buggy, Cabaji, Mohji, Richie, and Chouchou in the second, and the rest of the ex-Buggy Pirates in the third group. The circus pirates, while mostly separated, were also conflicted among themselves, with some feeling more loyal to their previous leaders, some more strongly affected by the kinder treatment of the Strawhats, and others not feeling strongly either way and simply wanting to avoid the conflict completely.

The only person who was not affected by the division was, of course, Luffy. Luffy was the only one that wasn't treated with derision or unease from any of the groups, and likewise did the same in return. While he was concerned with the anger and unease he felt from all sides, the rubber-man knew there wasn't much he could do for either without doing more harm than good. He could try to force them to have meals together, or to socialize with one another, but that would only breed resentment and further widen the gaps that had appeared between his precious crewmates, and even himself. Truly, Luffy did not understand this in so many words, but inherently knew that doing those things would be bad in the long run, and so, trusted his emotional instincts and allowed them the space so they could mend their metaphorical wounds on their own.

Time, however, waits for no one, and after three days, the Floating Restaurant, Baratie, appeared on the horizon.

 **Chapter 21, END**

 **What, did you think getting a bunch of new people would be so simple? Nope, and just like everyone else in quarantine, there is no escape from the Big Top.**

 **Let me know if you can figure out the significance of the original three's bounties, I'll shout out who gets it right first, lol.**

 **Also, if anyone has interest in making fan art for this story that I could use for the cover image, that would be absolutely epic!**

 **In continuation of this, I apparently lost my beta reader, so if someone wants to help with that, I would be much appreciated.**

 **If you have questions or feedback, feel free to PM me, or, better yet, leave a review, follow, or favorite. All of those give a serious boost to my morale!**

 **Everyone stay inside, stay safe, and stay positive in these trying times.**

 **Until next time, this is Swordnoob, signing out!**


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